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GEORGE  SAND'S  NOVELS. 


THE  SNO  W  MAN. 


THE  SNOW  MAN 


A     NOVEL 


BY    GEORGE    SAND 


Translated  from  the  French 
BY    VIRGINIA    VAUGHAN 


BOSTON 
ROBERTS     BROTHERS 

1871 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1871,  by 

ROBERTS   BROTHERS, 
in  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


BTEBEOTTPED  BY  JOHX  C.  BEGAN  it  CO. 
65  Congress  Street. 


Stack 

5" 

oso 


THE    SNOW    MAN. 


the  reader  be  kind  enough  to  enter  with  us  at 
once  into  the  subject  of  this  story,  as  he  does 
when,  in  the  theatre,  the  curtain  rises  upon  a  situation 
which  the  actors  proceed  to  explain. 

In  the  same  way,  we  beg  him  to  go  with  us  straightway 
into  the  heart  of  the  locality  which  is  the  scene  of  this 
narrative ;  —  yet  there  is  this  difference,  that  in  the 
theatre  the  curtain  seldom  rises  upon  an  empty  stage ; 
while  in  the  present  instance,  the  narrator  and  the  reader 
are  to  be  for  a  few  moments  alone  together. 

The  place  into  which  we  are  thus  conveyed,  is  suffi- 
ciently strange  and  not  particularly  agreeable.  It  is  a 
four-sided  room,  at  first  sight  apparently  a  regular  square, 
but  one  of  its  angles  is  really  more  acute  than  the  others, 
as  we  observe  the  moment  we  notice  the  dark-colored 
wooden  ceiling  whose  projecting  beams  cross  each  other 
in  a  distinctly  irregular  manner  in  the  north-east  corner. 

This  irregularity  is  made  still  more  obvious  by  a 
wooden  staircase  with  a  balustrade  somewhat  elaborately 
worked,  and  of  a  massive  character,  seemingly  of  the 
end  of  the  sixteenth  century  or  the  beginning  of  the 
seventeenth.  This  staircase  goes  up  six  steps,  pauses 
at  a  small  landing-place,  turns  a  right  angle,  and  after 
six  steps  more  ends  abruptly  in  the  wall.  The  ar- 
rangements of  the  building  have  been  changed ;  and  it 
would  have  been  natural  to  remove  the  staircase  at  the 
same  time,  for  it  only  encumbers  the  room.  Why  was 
this  not  done  ?  This,  dear  reader,  is  the  question  we  put 

(1) 


2  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

to  each  other.  But,  notwithstanding  this  proof  of  respect 
or  indifference,  the  apartment  which  we  are  examining 
has  retained  all  its  ancient  comforts.  An  immense  cir- 
cular stove,  in  which  no  fire  has  been  lighted  for  a  long 
time,  serves  as  a  pedestal  for  a  very  handsome  clock  of 
the  style  of  Boule,  whose  glasses,  tarnished  and  almost 
iridescent  with  moisture,  tlirow  out  metallic  reflections 
into  the  gloom.  A  handsome  copper  chandelier  of  the 
Dutch  fashion  hangs  from  the  ceiling,  covered  with  a  coat 
of  verdigris  so  thick,  that  it  looks  like  a  piece  of  mala- 
chite work.  Twelve  wax  candles,  whole  (with  one  ex- 
ception), though  yellow  with  age,  are  still  standing  in  the 
\vide  metallic  sockets,  whose  size  has  the  advantage  of 
not  allowing  a  drop  of  wax  to  fall,  and  the  disadvantage 
of  casting  a  deep  shadow  on  the  floor,  while  the  light  is 
all  reflected  up  to  the  ceiling. 

The  twelfth  of  the  candles  in  this  chandelier  is  three- 
fourths  burnt  away.  We  happen  to  note  this,  friendly 
reader,  because  we  are  examining  everything  with  such 
minute  attention.  Otherwise  we  might  very  easily  have 
overlooked  it,  in  consequence  of  the  strange  ornament 
which  partly  covers  the  chandelier  and  its  candles,  and 
hangs  along  its  branches  in  opaque  folds.  Probably  you 
take  it  to  be  a  piece  of  gray  cloth  long  ago  thrown  over 
the  fixture  to  protect  the  copper.  Touch  it,  if  you  can 
reach  high  enough.  You  see  that  it  is  an  accumulation  of 
spiders'  webs,  almost  as  compact  as  parchment,  and 
loaded  with  dust. 

These  spiders'  webs  are  everywhere  else  too.  They 
hang  all  over  the  smoked  frames  of  the  large  family  por- 
traits that  fill  three  sides  of  the  room,  and  in  the  corners 
they  are  festooned  with  a  sort  of  regularity,  as  if  some 
austere  and  industrious  fate  had  assumed  the  form  of  a 
spider,  and  undertaken  to  furnish  hangings  for  these  de- 
serted wainscots,  complete  enough  to  cover  even  the  least 
crevice. 

But  of  the  spiders  themselves  you  will  not  find  one. 
The  cold  has  made  them  torpid,  or  killed  them  ;  and  if  you 
should  be  obliged  —  as  I  hope  you  will  not  —  to  pass  a 
night  in  this  melancholy  room,  you  would  not  have  even 


THE  SNOW  MAN.  3 

..cse  industrious  little  creatures  to  keep  you  company. 
The  clock,  whose  tick-tack  is  not  unlike  the  regular  tick- 
ing of  some  insects,  is  mute  as  they.  Its  hands  have 
stood  still  upon  the  dial  at  four  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
for  God  knows  how  many  years. 

I  say  four  o'clock  in  the  morning,  for  the  reason  that 
in  the  country  where  we  now  are,  the  striking  part  of  old 
timepieces  indicates  whether  the  hours  are  those  of  the 
night  or  of  the  day  —  for  there  the  days  are  sometimes 
only  five  hours  long,  and  the  nights  nineteen.  If  you 
were  fatigued  with  your  journey  and  should  sleep  late, 
you  might  not  know,  when  you  awoke,  whether  it  was 
the  next  morning  after  your  arrival,  or  the  next  morning 
but  one.  If  the  clock  were  going  it  would  tell  you,  but 
it  is  not,  and  it  is  impossible  to  tell  whether  it  could  be 
made  to  go. 

Well ;  what  country  is  it  ?  We  shall  learn  without 
having  to  go  outside  the  room.  Along  the  whole  length 
of  the  irregular  wall,  by  which  the  staircase  is  built, 
and  which,  like  the  three  other  sides,  is  more  than  half 
covered  with  oaken  wainscot,  large  maps  are  hung ;  very 
likely  because  their  shape  rendered  it  a  convenient  place. 
They  are  longer  horizontally  than  their  height,  and  ac- 
cordingly just  cover  that  part  of  the  wall  above  the  wood- 
work. They  seem  to  be  banished  here  rather  than 
exhibited,  and  we  shall  have  to  go  up  the  twelve  steps  of 
the  staircase  ending  in  the  wall,  to  convince  ourselves  that 
these  long  bands  of  parchment,  colored  in  the  hardest 
tints,  are  maps,  charts,  and  plans  of  strong  cities. 

The  staircase  leads  us  precisely  to  the  height  of  that 
one  of  these  maps  representing  the  country,  which  was 
undoubtedly  placed  just  there  for  convenience  of  con- 
sultation ;  and  also,  perhaps,  to  hide  the  place  where  a 
door  has  been  built  up. 

This  great  green  serpent  in  the  middle  of  the  picture  is 
the  Baltic  Sea.  I  presume  that  you  recognize  it  from  its 
resemblance  to  a  dolphin  with  a  double  tail,  and  from  the 
innumerable  indentations  of  its  fiords  —  narrow  and  wind- 
ing gull's  that  run  far  into  the  rocky  coast. 

Don't  get  lost  on  the  side  of  Finland,  which  is  there 


4  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

painted  in  yellow  ochre  ;  look  on  the  other  shore  for  ab 
the  middle  of  Sweden  (painted  red),  and  you  will  recogniz" 
from  its  lakes,  from  its  rivers  and  mountains,  the  province 
of  Dalecarlia,  a  region  which  was  still  comparatively 
uncivilized  at  the  time  to  which  this  story  refers.  It  is 
in  the  last  century,  towards  the  close  of  the  kindly  but 
troubled  reign  of  Adolphus-Frederick  of  Holstein-Gottorp, 
at  one  time  the  Protestant  Bishop  of  Lubeck,  but  who 
afterwards  married  Ulrica  of  Prussia,  the  friend  of  Vol- 
taire, the  sister  of  Frederick  the  Great ;  in  a  word,  as  far 
as  we  can  judge,  it  is  about  the  year  1770. 

Rather  later,  we  shall  see  the  aspect  of  this  country. 
You  must  be  satisfied  at  present,  dear  reader,  to  know 
that  you  are  in  a  small,  old  chateau,  perched  on  a  rock,  in 
the  very  centre  of  a  frozen  lake,  which  will  naturally  lead 
you  to  conclude  that  I  have  carried  you  there  in  mid- 
winter. 

And  now  a  last  glance  at  this  room  while  it  is  still  ours  ; 
for,  gloomy  and  cold  as  it  is,  we  shall  soon  have  compet- 
itors for  the  use  of  it.  It  is  furnished  with  old  chairs  of 
wood,  quite  artistically  carved,  but  massive  and  incon- 
venient. One  arm-chair,  comparatively  modern  —  that  is 
of  the  time  of  Louis  XVI. —  is  covered  with  silk  that  has 
become  yellowed  and  stained,  but  it  is  still  soft,  and  of  a 
convenient  shape  for  sleeping  ;  it  looks  out  of  place  in  the 
solemn  company  of  the  other  worm-eaten  chairs,  with 
their  high  backs,  which,  for  more  than  twenty  years,  have 
not  been  moved  from  the  wall.  To  conclude,  an  old  bed, 
with  four  twisted  columns  and  curtains  of  tattered  silk, 
stands  in  the  corner  opposite  the  staircase,  and  adds,  by 
its  dilapidated  appearance,  to  the  gloomy  and  sinister  as- 
pect of  the  place. 

But  we  must  retire,  reader.  The  door  opens,  and  you 
must  depend  upon  me  hereafter  if  you  wish  to  know  about 
the  past  and  future  events  whose  theatre  I  have  thus 
shown  you. 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


I. 

T^OR  a  full  quarter  of  an  hour  some  one  had  been 
-*•  knocking  and  ringing  at  the  outside  door  of  the 
gothic  manor  of  Stollborg  ;  but  the  bourrasque  was  blow- 
ing so  very  furiously,  and  old  Stenson  was  so  extremely 
deaf!  The  old  man's  nephew,  Ulphilas,  a  colossal  blond 
who  assisted  him  in  his  duties,  heard  somewhat  better, 
but  he  believed  in  ghosts,  and  was  not  at  all  anxious  to 
open  the  door  to  them.  M.  Stenson,  former  steward  of 
the  Baron  de  Waldemora,  was  an  invalid,  and  a  man  of 
melancholy  character ;  he  was  at  present  the  overseer 
of  Stollborg  ;  and  he  lived  in  one  of  the  pavilions  of  this 
old,  battered,  and  abandoned  chateau.  It  really  seemed 
o  him  that  some  one  was  knocking  at  the  door  of  tlie 
jourt,  but  Ulphilas  judiciously  called  his  attention  to  the 
fact  that  the  goblins  and  trolls  of  the  lake  were  in  the 
habit  of  playing  just  such  tricks.  Stenson,  with  a  sigh, 
began  to  read  his  old  Bible  again,  and  in  a  very  few  mo- 
ments went  to  bed. 

At  last,  the  persons  outside  became  so  impatient  that 
they  forced  the  lock  of  the  door,  introduced  themselves 
into  the  court,  and,  following  a  narrow  gallery  on  the 
ground-floor,  entered,  with  their  ass,  the  very  room  that 
we  have  just  described,  which  was  called  the  bear-room, 
from  the  crowned  animal  carved  on  the  armorial  shield 
above  the  outside  window. 

The  door  of  this  room  was  usually  fastened,  and  its 
being  open  to-day  was  due  to  an  unusual  circumstance, 
about  which,  however,  the  strangers  did  not  trouble 
themselves  at  all. 

Rather  strange-looking  individuals  were  these  unex- 
pected visitors  of  Stollborg  !  One  of  them  was  wrapped 
up  in  a  sheepskin,  and  looked  like  one  of  those  ugly 
scarecrows  that  are  used  in  gardens  and  hemp-fields  to 
frighten  birds  ;  the  other,  who  was  tall  and  well  made, 
resembled  a  good-natured  Italian  brigand. 

The  ass  was  a  fine  ass :  strong,  and  carrying  a  load 


6  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

that  would  have  been  sufficient  for  an  ox  ;  he  was  so  accus- 
tomed to  travelling  adventures,  that  he  made  no  sort  of 
objection  to  going  up  several  steps,  and  showed  no  sur- 
prise when  lie  found  himself  treading  upon  a  pine  floor 
instead  of  the  straw  of  a  stable.  The  poor  ass  was  ill, 
however,  and  the  taller  of  the  two  travellers  who  was 
leading  him,  looked  after  his  comfort  before  attending  to 
anything  else. 

"  Puffo,"  he  said,  placing  his  lantern  on  a  large  table 
in  the  middle  of  the  room,  "Jean  has  a  cold;  he  is 
coughing  as  if  he  would  split  his  lungs." 

"  Parbleu,  I  am  no  better  off  myself!"  replied  Puffo 
in  Italian,  the  same  language  which  his  companion  had 
employed ;  "  do  you  suppose,  master,  that  it  makes  a 
fellow  fresh  and  jolly  to  drag  him  about  in  this  devil  of  a 
country?" 

"  I  too  am  cold  and  tired,"  replied  the  master,  as 
Puffo  called  him  ;  "  but  there  is  no  use  in  complaining. 
Here  we  are,  and  we  must  not  allow  ourselves  to  die  of 
cold.  Look  and  see  whether  this  is  really  the  bear- 
room  that  we  were  told  about." 

"  How  shall  I  recognize  it?" 

"  By  those  maps,  and  a  staircase  which  leads  nowhere. 
Was  not  that  what  they  told  us  at  the  farm?" 

"  I  don't  know  anything  about  it,"  replied  Puffo.  "I 
can't  understand  their  beastly  patois." 

As  he  spoke,  he  took  the  lantern,  and  holding  it  higher 
than  his  head,  said  : 

"  What  do  I  know  about  geography?  " 

His  master  looked  up  and  exclaimed  : 

"  This  is  the  very  room.  There  are  the  maps ;  and 
here,"  he  added,  running  lightly  up  the  wooden  stair- 
case, and  lifting  the  map  that  hung  over  the  wall  at  the 
top  of  it,  "  is  the  place  walled  up.  It's  all  right,  Puffo, 
we  need  not  distress  ourselves  any  longer.  The  room  is 
perfectly  tight,  and  we  can  sleep  here  like  princes." 

"  However,  I  don't  see  —  Oh  yes  !  there  is  a  bed,  but 
there  are  neither  mattresses  nor  coverlids,  and  they  told 
us  there  were  two  good  beds." 

"  You  are  quite  a  Sybarite !     Do  you  require  a  bed 


THE  SNOW  MAN.  7 

wherever  you  go,  my  good  fellow?  Look  and  see  if 
there  is  any  wood  in  the  stove,  and  light  the  fire." 

"  There's  no  wood  at  all ;  nothing  but  coal." 

"  That  is  still  better.  Light  the  fire,  my  lad,  light  it. 
As  for  me,  I  am  going  to  attend  to  this  poor  Jean." 

Taking  a  piece  of  carpet  that  lay  before  the  stove,  the 
young  man  began  to  rub  the  ass  so  vigorously,  that  in  a 
few  moments  he  himself  was  all  in  a  glow. 

"  I  was  fairly  warned,"  he  said  to  Puffo,  who  was 
lighting  the  fire,  "  that  the  ass  would  suffer  from  the 
cold  beyond  the  fifty-second  degree  of  north  latitude ; 
but  I  did  not  believe  it.  The  ass  is  not  so  delicate  as 
the  horse,  which  lives  in  Lapland ;  and  besides,  this  one 
of  ours  is  so  healthy  and  good-natured  !  We  can  only 
hope  that  he  will  be  as  lucky  as  ourselves,  and  will 
keep  alive  for  several  days.  He  has  not  refused  to  work 
yet,  and  the  poor  beast  carries  with  perfect  docility  a 
larger  load  than  two  horses  would  probably  take,  at  least 
without  being  very  much  urged." 

u  No  matter  for  that !  "  replied  Puffo,  kneeling  before 
the  stove,  which  was  beginning  to  roar  and  sputter  as  if 
it  were  going  to  burn  well ;  "  you  ought  to  have  sold 
him  in  Stockholm,  where  so  many  people  wanted  him." 

"Sell  Jean!  Sell  him  to  be  stuffed  for  a  museum? 
Never,  so  help  me  heaven  !  He  has  worked  well  for 
me  for  a  whole  year ;  and,  for  my  part,  I  love  this  faith- 
ful servant.  Who  knows,  Puffo,  whether  I  shall  be  able 
to  say  as  much  for  you  a  year  hence  ?  " 

u  Pshaw,  Master  Cristiano  !  I  don't  care.  Sentiment 
is  not  in  my  line  ;  and  I  should  trouble  myself  very  little 
about  the  ass,  if  I  could  only  find  something  to  eat  and 
drink." 

"  There  is  something  in  that,  I  confess.  Sentiment 
does  not  take  away  the  appetite,  and  I  am  as  hungry  as 
all  the  devils.  Come,  Puffo,  let  us  be  sensible,  and  go 
over  what  we  have  heard.  They  said  at  the  new  cha- 
teau - — '  We  have  no  room  for  you  here.  Even  if  you 
should  come  in  the  name  of  the  king,  we  could  not  find 
you  a  corner  as  large  as  your  hand.  Go  and  lodge  at 
the  farm.'  At  the  farm  they  said  about  the  same  thing  ; 


8  THE  SNO  W  MAN. 

but  they  gave  us  a  lantern,  and  showing  us  a  road  cut 
out  over  the  ice  of  the  lake,  advised  us  to  go  to  the  old 
chateau.  The  road  is  not  agreeable,  I  acknowledge, 
amid  these  whirlwinds  of  snow,  but  the  distance  is  short. 
You  can  return  in  ten  minutes,  at  the  outside,  and  my 
opinion  is  that  you  will  have  to  make  up  your  mind  to  do 
this,  if  you  want  any  supper." 

"•  But  what  if  they  turn  us  away  from  the  farm  as  they 
did  from  the  new  chateau  ?  They  will  say,  perhaps,  that 
they  have  already  too  much  company  to  provide  for,  and 
that  they  have  not  a  scrap  of  bread  left  for  vagrants  like  us." 

"  The  fact  is,  that  our  appearance  is  not  prepossessing. 
That  is  what  makes  me  afraid  that  this  worthy  M.  Sten- 
son,  the  old  overseer  who  lives  somewhere  about  the 
building,  and  who  is  very  ill-tempered,  they  say,  will  drive 
us  off  the  premises.  But  listen,  Puffo  :  either  the  good 
man  must  be  fast  asleep,  since  we  have  succeeded  in 
breaking  open  the  door  of  the  court  and  reaching  this 
room  without  hindrance,  or  the  noise  of  the  wind  drowns 
every  other  sound.  Now  what  we  have  to  do  is  to  steal 
quietly  into  the  kitchen,  and  the  devil  is  to  pay  if  we 
cannot  find  anything  there." 

"  Much  obliged  to  you,"  said  Puffo  ;  "  I  prefer  recross- 
ing  the  lake  and  going  to  the  farm.  There  the  people, 
although  busy,  were  very  polite,  while  old  Stenson,  it 
seems,  is  wicked,  and  a  sort  of  monomaniac." 

"  Just  as  you  choose,  my  good  Puffo  ;  off  with  you  ! 
Bring  something  back,  if  it  is  a  possible  thing,  to  warm 
us  up  a  little.  One  word  more,  my  sublime  companion  ; — 
listen  once  for  all." 

"What  is  the  matter  now?"  said  Puffo,  who  was 
already  tying  the  strings  of  his  sheepskin  in  preparation 
for  his  departure. 

"  In  the  first  place,"  replied  Cristiano,  "  you  must 
give  me  time  to  light  one  of  the  candles  of  this  chandelier 
before  carrying  off  the  lantern." 

"  How  can  you  reach  them  ?  I  dont  see  any  great  sup- 
ply of  ladders  in  this  damned  bear-room." 

"  Stand  there,  I  am  going  to  climb  on  vour  shoulders. 
Are  you  firm  ?  " 


THE  SNOW  MAN,  9 

*'  Go  on,  you  are  not  very  heavy  !" 

"  Now  comrade,"  said  the  young  man,  planting  his  feet 
upon  Puffo's  broad  shoulders,  and  seizing  one  of  the 
branches  of  the  chandelier  with  one  hand,  while  with  the 
other  he  tried  to  snatch  a  candle  from  its  socket,  without 
bringing  down  the  dusty  spiders'  webs  into  his  eyes  ;  "lis- 
ten to  me  !  I  have  net  precisely  the  honor  of  knowing  you. 
For  three  months  we  have  been  travelling  companions, 
and  aside  from  the  fact  that  you  are  rather  too  fond  of 
taverns,  you  seem  to  me  to  be  not  a  bad  fellow  ;  but  you 
may  be  a  great  rogue  for  all  that,  and  I  am  not  sorry  to 
have  an  opportunity  of  telling  you  —  " 

"  Say  what  you  are  going  to,  and  have  done  with  it, 
will  you?"  replied  Putfo,  shaking  himself  a  little.  "I 
wish  you  would  make  haste  up  there,  instead  of  le<jtur- 
ing.  You  are  not  so  light  as  I  thought." 

"  I  have  done,"  replied  Cristiano,  leaping  nimbly  to  the 
earth,  for  he  imagined  that  his  companion  was  a  little  in- 
clined to  let  him  fall ;  "  I  have  got  my  candle,  and  will 
continue  my  discourse.  We  are,  for  the  moment,  two 
Bohemians,  Puffo  —  two  poor  adventurers  ;  but  I  am  in 
the  habit  of  behaving  like  a  sensible  man,  while  you  some- 
times take  pleasure  in  conducting  yourself  like  a  beast. 
Now,  I  want  you  to  understand  that  the  greatest  folly,  the 
meanest  and  flattest  thing  that  a  man  can  be  guilty  of  in 
my  eyes,  is  to  follow  the  trade  of  a  thief." 

"Where  did  you  ever  see  me  stealing?"  said  Puffo, 
gloomily. 

"  If  I  had  seen  you  stealing  in  my  company  I  should 
have  broken  your  back,  my  friend  ;  that  is  why  it  is  only 
fair  that  I  should  let  you  know  what  my  views  on  the 
subject  are.  I  told  you  just  now  to  try  and  obtain  some 
supper  by  persuasion  or  cunning.  So  far  we  have  a  right 
to  go.  We  were  invited  into  this  snow  paradise  to  em- 
ploy our  talents  for  the  entertainment  of  a  large  party  of 
distinguished  persons.  We  were  provided  with  money  to 
pay  the  expenses  of  the  journey,  and  it  is  not  our  fault 
that  it  was  lost.  We  are  promised  a  sufficient  amount, 
of  which  I  intend  to  give  you  a  handsome  share,  although 
you  are  only  the  apprentice,  while  I  am  the  master.  We 


io  THE  SNO  W  MAN. 

have  no  reason  to  complain,  therefore,  but  always  on 
condition  that  we  are  not  left  to  die  of  cold  and  hunger. 
Now  we  happen  to  arrive  at  our  employer's  chateau  at 
night,  just  as  his  illustrious  guests  have  gone  to  supper, 
when  his  highly  respectable  lackeys  are  in  a  great  hurry 
to  get  their  supper,  and  when  belated  travellers  have  no 
right  to  be  hungry.  Consequently  it  is  a  matter  of  neces- 
sity for  us  to  get  our  own  supper  to-night  in  some  way  or 
other,  so  that  we  may  be  in  condition  to  fulfil  our  engage- 
ments to-morrow.  We  shall  neither  offend  heaven  nor 
our  host  by  laying  hands  upon  a  few  good  dishes  and  some 
bottles  of  wine ;  but,  to  slip  silver  into  our  pockets  and 
hide  linen  under  the  pack-saddle  of  our  ass,  would  be 
an  asinine  proceeding,  since  silver  is  not  good  to  eat, 
and»siiice  it  ruins  linen  to  be  stowed  away  under  a  saddle. 
Do  you  understand,  Puffo  ?  We  are  perfectly  authorized 
in  taking  food,  but  no  stealing,  or  a  hundred  lashes  on 
your  back.  That  is  what  I  intended  to  tell  you." 

"  All  right !  "  replied  PufFo,  shrugging  his  shoulders  ; 
"  you  have  been  a  long  time  coming  to  the  point.  You 
are  a  dreadful  chatterbox." 

Puffo  went  off  with  the  lantern  in  a  state  of  consider- 
able discontent  with  his  patron,  who  had,  in  fact,  good 
reasons  for  suspecting  his  honesty,  having  several  times 
discovered  among  his  professional  apparatus  sundry  objects 
whose  sudden  acquisition  Puffo  had  been  unable  to  ex- 
plain in  a  satisfactory  manner. 

It  was  not  without  reason,  upon  the  other  hand,  that 
Puffo  accused  Cristiano  of  being  a  chatterbox.  He  was, 
at  all  events,  a  great  talker,  as  all  men  endowed  with 
strong  intellectual  and  physical  vitality  are  apt  to  be. 
Puffo,  with  his  mere  rude  glibness  of  speech  and  his  vul- 
gar instincts,  felt  the  ascendency  of  a  mind  and  character 
infinitely  superior  to  his  own.  He,  however,  was  the 
stronger  of  the  two,  and  when  the  tall  and  slender  Cris- 
tiano threatened  this  thick-set  and  muscular  Livornese,  it 
was  his  moral  influence  or  his  agility  that  he  relied  upon, 
rather  than  physical  strength,  to  enforce  his  authority. 

When  Cristiano  was  left  alone,  he  abandoned  himself  to 
his  innocent  affection  for  his  ass.  He  had  relieved  him 


THE  SNO  W  MAN.  1 1 

from  his  baggage  as  soon  as  they  entered  the  bear-room. 
This  baggage,  consisting  of  two  large  boxes,  a  bundle  of 
light  poles  of  white  wood  with  their  cross-pieces  taken 
apart,  and  finally  a  package  of  curtains  and  tapestries 
which  were  still  quite  fresh,  carefully  rolled  in  a  leather 
case,  he  arranged  in  a  corner.  All  this  was  his  artistic 
apparatus,  —  the  tools  of  his  trade,  his  livelihood.  As  for 
his  wardrobe,  it  gave  him  no  sort  of  trouble.  It  con- 
sisted merely  of  a  little  bundle  of  linen  tied  up  in  a  hand- 
kerchief, and  a  cloak  of  coarse  cloth,  which  made  a  good 
covering  for  Jean  when  it  left  the  back  of  its  owner.  The 
rest  of  his  effects  he  wore  —  to  wit,  a  Venetian  cape  a 
good  deal  defaced,  small-clothes  of  some  stout  material, 
and  three  pair  of  woollen  stockings,  one  over  the  other. 

His  cape,  his  woollen  cap,  and  his  broad-brimmed  hat, 
Cristiano  had  taken  off,  so  as  to  be  more  at  'his  ease  in 
setting  things  to  rights.  He  was  a  tall,  slender  fellow, 
with  a  remarkably  handsome  face,  shaded  by  a  profusion 
of  black  hair  in  great  disorder. 

The  warmth  of  the  stove  began  to  make  itself  felt,  and 
besides,  the  young  man  was  too  vigorous  to  be  sensitive 
to  the  cold.  He  went  about  the  room,  therefore,  in  his 
shirt-sleeves,  and  made  arrangements  to  pass  the  night  as 
comfortably  as  possible.  It  was  not  the  absence  of  the 
beds  they  had  been  told  about  that  troubled  him,  but  the 
fear  that  he  would  not  be  able  to  find  Jean  anything  to 
eat  and  drink. 

u  I  was  very  foolish,"  he  said  to  himself,  "  not  to  think 
about  that  as  I  passed  the  new  chateau  and  the  farm  ;  but 
how  can  one  think  of  anything  with  the  wind  blowing 
ice-needles  into  his  eyes  ?  They  told  us  at  the  farm  (and 
I  remember  now  that  they  said  so  in  a  very  sarcastic 
way)  that  we  would  find  an  abundance  of  everything  at 
the  old  chateau,  if  old  Steuson  would  be  good  enough  to 
let  us  in  ;  now  as  we  were  obliged  to  break  the  door  open, 
it  seems  that  he  was  not  good  enough.  Well,  whether  or 
nt>,  I  must  find  out  how  the  Cerberus  of  this  old  ruin  will 
take  our  being  here.  After  all,  I  have  my  contract  in  my 
pocket,  and,  if  they  try  to  turn  me  out  here  too,  I  will  show 
my  teeth." 


12  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

Thereupon  Cristiano  placed  Jean,  together  with  his 
baggage,  in  the  recess  under  the  staircase,  and  as  he  was 
seeking,  candle  in  hand,  for  a  nail  or  peg  to  which  to  tie 
the  ass,  he  saw  that  there  was  a  door  in  the  wainscot  just 
at  the  farthest  part  of  this  recess,  and  in  the  defective 
angle  of  the  room. 

As  he  had  not  noticed  the  irregularity  in  the  plan  of 
the  room,  he^could  not  tell  whether  the  passage-way  into 
which  the  door  opened  was  in  a  thick  wall,  or  between 
two  walls  joined  above.  He  pushed  the  secret  door  — 
for  it  was  one  —  without  expecting  that  it  would  open, 
and,  seeing  that  it  was  not  fastened  in  any  way,  he  cau- 
tiously went  forward  to  see  what  he  could  find.  He  had 
not  gone  three  steps  when  the  caudle  went  out.  Luckily 
the  fire  was  burning,  and  he  was  able  to  light  it  again, 
while  listening  with  a  certain  pleasure  to  the  sharp  and 
melancholy  whistling  of  the  wind  in  the  secret  passage. 

Cristiano  had  a  romantic  disposition,  and  was  in  the 
habit  of  indulging  in  poetic  fancies.  It  seemed  to  him 
that  the  spirits  so  long  imprisoned  in  this  abandoned  hall 
were  complaining  at  beiug  disturbed  in  their  mysteries  ; 
and  as  he  was  afraid,  moreover,  that  the  cold  would  in- 
crease poor  Jean's  cough,  he  took  pains,  when  he  went 
out  again,  to  shut  the  door  after  him  ;  he  had  noticed,  be- 
forehand, that  there  were  strong  bolts  on  the  outside,  but 
that  its  own  weight  was  sufficient  to  keep  it  in  its  place. 

We  will  leave  him  for  the  present  to  proceed  on  his  expe- 
dition, and  introduce  another  traveller  into  the  bear-room. 

This  also  is  an  unexpected  visitor,  but  he  is  accompa- 
nied by  Ulphilas,  who  lights  him  with  respect,  while  they 
are  followed  by  a  shivering  little  serving-lad,  dressed  in 
a  full  suit  of  red.  These  three  persons  are  talking  Dale- 
carlian,  and  they  are  still  in  the  court,  Ulphilas  with  a 
terrified  expression,  and  the  two  others  looking  very  im- 
patient. 

"  Come,  Ulph,  come,  my  lad,"  said  the  stranger,  "don't 
be  so  formal ;  light  us  to  this  famous  room,  and  attend  to 
my  horse  at  once.  He  is  all  in  a  sweat  with  dragging 
the  sleigh  up  your  little  rock.  Good  horse !  I  would 
not  lose  him  for  ten  thousand  rix  dollars." 


THE   SNOW  MAN.  13 

The  person  who  addressed  Ulphilas  thus  was  the  sen- 
ior advocate  of  the  city  of  Gevala,  Doctor  of  Laws  of  the 
Faculty  of  Lund. 

"What,  Monsieur  Goefle,*  do  you  want  to  stay  here 
all  night  ?  Do  you  really  mean  so  ?  " 

"  Hush,  hush  !  I  know  it  will  annoy  honest  Sten  ;  but, 
when  I  am  once  installed,  he  will  have  to  make  up  his 
mind  to  it.  Take  the  horse,  I  tell  you  —  I  know  the 
way." 

"  What,  Monsieur  Advocate,  you  come  here  all  alone 
in  the  night  with  your  grandson  ?  " 

"  You  rascal !  you  know  very  well  that  I  have  no  chil- 
dren. Here,  little  Nils,  come  and  help  me  unharness 
poor  Loki.  You  see  that  it  is  the  fashion  here  to  talk, 
and  do  nothing  else.  Come,  rouse  yourself;  are  you  fro- 
zen with  a  trip  of  three  or  four  hours  at  nightfall  ?  " 

"  Leave  him  alone,  Monsieur  Goefle,  he  is  too  little," 
said  Ulphilas,  feeling  the  lawyer's  reproach.  "Take  the 
first  door  to  the  right,  and  get  under  shelter  ;  I  will  an- 
swer for  the  horse." 

"  Nonsense,  it  has  stopped  snowing !  This  little 
flurry  has  only  made  the  weather  milder,"  resumed  M. 
Goefle,  who,  both  by  profession  and  taste,  was  no  less  of 
a  talker  than  Cristiano.  "  I  have  not  been  cold  at  all, 
and  shall  do  capitally  if  I  eat  a  good  plate  of  porridge, 
and  smoke  a  good  pipe,  before  going  to  bed.  Come,  Nils, 
carry  one  of  these  bundles  into  the  room  yonder  ;  it  will 
be  something  for  you  to  do,  and  will  warm  you.  Are 
you  asleep  already  ?  It  is  not  more  than  seven  o'clock." 

"  Oh,  Monsieur  Goefle,"  said  the  little  lad,  with  his 
teeth  chattering,  "  it  has  been  night  for  a  long  time,  and 
I  am  always  so  afraid  in  the  night." 

"  Afraid  ?  Of  what,  pray  ?  Well,  console  yourself ;  at 
this  season  the  days  are  getting  a  minute  and  a  half 
longer  daily." 


*Gevala,  Gefle,  Gesle,  and  Goefle,  are  different  ways  of  writ- 
ing the  name  of  the  same  town.  The  name  of  the  advocate  in 
question  happened  to  be  the  same  as  that  of  the  town  in  which 
he  practised. 


I4  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

Talking  away  after  this  fashion,  M.  Goefle,  who  was  a 
man  of  about  sixty,  dry,  active  and  cheerful,  himself  put 
the  horse  into  the  stable,  while  Ulphilas  drew  the  sleigh 
into  the  coach-house,  and  hung  up  the  harness  and 
bells.  In  the  meanwhile,  little  Nils  still  sat  shivering  on 
the  luggage  which  was  under  the  wooden  gallery  around 
the  court. 

When  M.  Goefle  was  satisfied  that  his  beloved  Loki, 
the  handsome  and  generous  little  horse  whom  he  had 
named  for  the  Prometheus  of  the  Scandinavian  mythol- 
ogy, would  want  for  nothing,  he  turned,  and  with  his 
firm  step  proceeded  towards  the  bear-room. 

"  Wait,  wait,  Monsieur  Advocate,"  said  Ulphilas, 
"  that  is  not  the  way.  The  double-bedded  room  that  we 
call  the  guard-room  —  " 

"  Parbleu  !  I  know  all  about  it,"  replied  M.  Goefle. 
"  I  have  slept  in  it  before  now." 

"  Perhaps  so,  but  that  was  a  long  time  ago.  It  is  so 
out  of  repair  now —  " 

"  Well,  if  it  is  out  of  repair  you  can  make  me  up  a 
bed  in  the  bear-room." 

"In  the  —  " 

Ulph  dared  not  finish,  so  monstrous  did  M.  Goefle's  sug- 
gestions seem.  Taking  courage  after  a  pause,  he  re- 
sumed : — 

"  No,  M.  Goefle,  no  !  That  is  impossible  ;  you  are 
joking !  I  will  go  and  look  for  the  key  of  the  other 
room,  which  perhaps  is  in  a  better  state  than  I 
thought  (my  uncle  sometimes  goes  there),  and  since 
there  is  a  second  door  to  the  gallery,  you  won't  have  the 
annoyance  of  going  through,  you  know." 

"  What !  Has  not  that  poor  bear-room  lost  its  bad  repu- 
tation since  the  staircase  door  was  walled  up?  Non- 
sense, Ulph,  my  lad,  you  are  old  enough  to  know  better. 
I  insist  upon  your  opening  the  door  immediately.  It  is 
too  cold  to  wait  here  while  you  go  in  search  of  other 
keys,  and  since  you  have  it  about  you  —  " 

"  I  haven't  got  it !  "  cried  Ulphilas.  "  I  swear  to  you, 
Of.  Goefle,  that  I  haven't  got  the  key  of  the  bear  any 
more  than  that  of  the  guard" 


THE  SNOW  MAN.  15 

While  discussing  thus,  M.  Goefle,  accompanied  by 
Ulphilas,  who  lighted  him  very  unwillingly,  and  Nils,  who 
followed  close  at  his  heels,  reached  the  second  door  of  the 
donjon,  upon  the  ground-floor  of  which  the  bear-room 
was  situated.  As  this  door  was  only  fastened  by  an  out- 
side bolt,  the  advocate  entered  the  inner  court  without 
diiliculty,  and  going  up  three  steps,  pushed  the  door  of 
the  bear-room,  which,  yielding  to  his  impatient  hand, 
opened  Avide  with  such  a  plaintive  squeak,  that  Nils  started 
back  in  terrror. 

"Open!  It  was  open!"  cried  Ulphilas,  turning  as 
pale  as  his  red  and  shining  face  was  capable  of  becom- 
ing. 

"  Well,  suppose  it  was?"  said  M.  Goefle.  "  Stenson, 
no  doubt,  has  been  through  this  way." 

"  He  never  comes  here,  Monsieur  Goefle.  Oh,  there's 
no  danger  of  that !  " 

"  So  much  the  better,  then.  I  can  get  settled  without 
troubling  him,  and  without  his  knowing  anything  about 
it.  But  what  have  you  been  telling  me?  Some  one 
must  have  been  here,  for  there  is  a  fire  in  the  stove  !  I  see 
how  it  is,  Monsieur  Ulphilas  Stenson  !  You  have  let  or 
promised  this  room  to  some  one  whom  you  are  waiting 
for.  The  deuce !  so  much  the  worse  for  them.  There 
is  no  room  at  the  new  chateau,  and  you  must  make  room 
for  me  here.  But  never  mind,  my  poor  fellow,  I  will 
pay  you  as  well  as  any  one.  Light  these  candles  ;  that  is 
to  say,  go  and  get  something  to  trim  them  with,  and 
then  bring  bed-clothes,  warming-pans,  whatever  we  may 
need ;  and,  above  all  things,  don't  forget  the  supper. 
Nils  will  help  you  ;  he  is  very  quick,  very  skilful,  and 
very  obliging.  Come,  Nils,  exert  yourself:  find  our 
bed-room,  the  guard-room,  as  Ulphilas  calls  it,  all  alone  ; 
I  know  where  it  is,  but  I  won't  tell  you.  Look  for  it ; 
show  us  how  bright  you  are,  Master  Nils." 

Good  Monsieur  Goefle  might  as  well  have  been 
talking  in  a  desert.  Ulphilas  was  standing  petrified  in 
the  middle  of  the  room,  Nils  was  warming  his  hands  at 
the  stove,  and  the  doctor  was  left  to  get  settled  as  he 
best  could. 


1 6  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

At  last  Ulph  heaved  a  sigh  that  might  have  turned  a 
mill-wheel,  and  said  in  an  emphatic  voice,  — 

"  Upon  my  honor,  Monsieur  Goefle,  upon  my  eter- 
nal salvation,  I  have  neither  let  nor  promised  this  room 
to  any  one.  How  can  you  think  such  a  thing  when  you 
know  what  has  happened  here,  and  what  goes  on  even 
now.  Oh !  nothing  would  induce  my  uncle  Stenson  to 
let  you  stop  here.  I  will  inform  him  of  your  arrival, 
and  since  they  were  not  able  to  accommodate  you  at  the 
new  chateau,  he  will  give  you  up  his  own  room." 

"  T  will  not  allow  anything  of  the  kind,"  replied  M. 
Goefle  ;  "  you  must  not  even  tell  him  that  I  have  come. 
He  will  learn  to-morrow  that  I  am  here,  and  am  very 
comfortable.  The  guard-room  is  rather  small,  but  it  will 
do  very  well  for  sleeping,  and  this  shall  be  my  drawing- 
room  and  office.  It  is  not  particularly  cheerful ;  but  for 
two  or  three  days  I  shall  be  quiet,  at  least." 

"  Quiet !  "  cried  Ulphilas.  "  Quiet  in  a  room  haunted 
by  the  devil?" 

"  What  makes  you  think  that,  friend  Ulph?"  said  the 
doctor  of  laws,  smiling,  while  little  Nils  began  to  shiver 
again,  from  fear  quite  as  much  as  the  wintry  cold. 

"  I  think  so  for  three  reasons,"  replied  Ulph,  with 
gloomy  solemnity.  "  In  the  first  place,  you  found  the 
door  of  the  court  open,  although  I  had  locked  it  after 
sunset ;  in  the  second  place,  the  door  of  this  room  was 
also  open,  a  thing  that  has  not  happened  since  I  came 
here  five  years  ago  to  take  care  of  my  uncle  aud  wait 
upon  him.  The  third  and  most  incredible  thing  of  all  is, 
that  there  is  a  fire  lighted,  and  that  the  etove  is  warm, 
although  no  fire  has  been  made  here  for  twenty  years, 
and  perhaps  more.  Lastly  —  hold,  Monsieur  Doctor, 
look !  —  there  is  some  wax  freshly  spilled  on  the  floor, 
and  yet  —  " 

"  You  spilled  it  yourself,  you  idiot ;  you  are  holding 
your  lantern  upside-down." 

"Oh,  no,  Monsieur  Goefle!  mine  is  a  tallow  candle, 
and  that  under  the  chandelier  —  wait !  " 

Ulph  looked  up  and  uttered  a  cry  of  horror  on  seeing 


THE   SNOW  MAN.  17 

that  there  were  only  ten  candles  and  a  half  in  the  chan- 
delier, instead  of  eleven  and  a  half. 

The  lawyer  was  naturally  kind  and  good-natured. 
Instead  of  allowing  the  preoccupation  of  Ulphilas,  and 
the  terror  of  Nils,  to  make  him  angry,  he  only  thought 
of  amusing  himself  at  their  expense. 

"  Well,  God  be  praised ! "  he  said,  very  seriously, 
"  that  proves  that  there  are  kobolds  here ;  and  if 
they  will  only  be  so  good  as  to  appear  to  me  (I  have 
wanted  to  become  acquainted  with  them  all  my  life, 
without  ever  seeing  a  single  one),  I  shall  congratulate 
myself  all  the  more  upon  coming  to  this  room,  where  I 
can  sleep  under  their  kind  protection." 

"  No,  no,  Monsieur  Doctor,"  replied  Ulphilas,  "  there 
are  no  kobolds  here  !  This  is  a  melancholy  and  accursed 
place,  as  you  know ;  a  place  where  the  trolls  of  the  lake 
come  to  disturb  and  spoil  everything,  like  wicked  spirits 
as  they  are,  while  the  little  kobolds  are  friendly  to  man, 
and  only  think  of  doing  him  good.  The  kobolds  save, 
and  do  not  waste.  They  never  carry  anything  away  —  " 

u  On  the  contrary,  they  bring !  I  know  all  about  that, 
Master  Ulph  ;  but  how  do  you  know  that  I  have  not  a 
kobold  of  my  own  who  came  on  here  before  me  ?  Very 
likely  he  took  the  candle  to  light  the  fire,  so  that  I  might 
find  a  warm  place  on  my  arrival ;  and,  knowing  that  you 
were  a  great  coward,  who  would  keep  me  waiting  a  long 
time,  opened  the  doors  beforehand.  (Now,  he  is  all 
ready,  no  doubt,  to  help  you  about  my  supper,  if  you 
will  only  be  as  good  as  to  attend  to  it,  for  you  know 
kobolds  don't  like  lazy  folks,  and  only  wait  upon  those 
who  show  a  disposition  to  help  others." 

This  explanation  soothed,  in  a  measure,  the  fears  of  his 
two  auditors.  Nils  ventured  to  turn  his  great  blue  eyes 
upon  the  gloomy  walls  of  the  apartment,  and  Ulph, 
after  giving  the  lawyer  a  key  to  the  closet  of  the  guard- 
room, went  to  prepare  their  supper. 

"  Well,  Nils,"  said  the  lawyer  to  his  little  servant,  "  we 
can  scarcely  see  at  all  with  this  abominable  lantern.  You 
can  make  up  the  beds  later ;  in  the  meanwhile,  go  and 
unpack  my  trunk.  Put  it  on  the  table." 


1 8  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

"But,  Monsieur  Doctor,"  said  the  child,  "I  cannot 
so  much  as  lift  it ;  it  is  heavy." 

"True,"  replied  the  lawyer;  "it  is  full  of  papers, 
and  is  very  heavy." 

He  himself  took  the  trunk,  and  with  a  slight  effort 
placed  it  upon  a  chair,  adding,  — 

"  At  any  rate,  take  the  valise  with  my  clothes.  I  have 
only  brought  what  was  necessary,  and  it  is  very  light." 

Nils  obeyed,  but  he  could  not  open  the  padlock. 

"  I  thought  you  were  more  skilful  than  that,"  said  the 
lawyer,  becoming  a  little  impatient ;  "  your  aunt  told 
me  —  I  am  afraid  my  good  Gertrude  praised  you  rather 
too  highly." 

"Oh,"  replied  the  child,  "I  can  open  trunks  very 
well  when  they  are  not  locked.  But  tell  me,  Monsieur 
Goefle,  is  it  true  that  you  have  a  kobold  to  wait  upon  you  f" 

"What,  a  kobold?  Oh  yes!  I  was  thinking  of 
something  else.  Do  you  believe  in  kobolds,  my  boy?" 

"  Yes,  if  there  are  any.  Aren't  they  wicked  some- 
times?" 

"  Never  ;  especially  as  they  do  not  exist." 

"  Oh,  but  you  said  just  now  —  " 

"  I  only  said  that  to  laugh  at  that  blockhead.  As  for 
you,  Nils,  I  don't  want  you  to  believe  in  any  such  non- 
sense. You  know  that  I  intend  to  make  you  something 
more  than  a  mere  servant ;  to  educate  you  a  little,  and 
make  you  sensible,  if  I  can." 

"But,  Monsieur  Goefle,  my  aunt  Gertrude  believes  in 
them.  She  believes  in  good  and  bad  spirits." 

"  My  housekeeper?  She  takes  good  care  not  to  ac- 
knowledge it  before  me.  She  pretends  to  be  strong- 
minded,  when  I  have  time  to  talk  to  her.  No,  no,  you 
are  mistaken  ;  she  doesn't  believe  anything  of  the  kind. 
She  only  says  so  to  amuse  you." 

"  But  it  doesn't  amuse  me  at  all ;  it  makes  me  afraid, 
and  keeps  me  awake  all  night." 

"  In  that  case  she  is  wrong.  But  what  are  you  about? 
Is  that  the  way  that  you  unpack  a  trunk,  throwing 
everything  on  the  floor?  Was  it  so  that  the  pastor  of 
Falun  taught  you  to  wait  on  him  ?  " 


THE   SNOW  MAN.  I9 

"  I  did  not  wait  upon  the  pastor,  Monsieur  Goefle. 
He  only  took  me  to  play  with  his  little  boy,  who  was  ill, 
and  we  had  such  a  good  time  !  We  used  to  make  little 
paper  boats,  and  little  bread  sleighs,  all  day  long." 

"  Oh,  ho !  that  is  worth  knowing !  "  said  the  doctor 
of  laws,  angrily  ;  "  and  Gertrude  told  me  that  you  were 
so  useful  in  that  house." 

"  I  was  very  useful,  Monsieur  Goefle  !  " 

"  Yes,  making  paper  boats  and  bread  sleighs  !  That 
assuredly  is  a  very  useful  employment !  But  let  me  tell 
you  that  if  you  can't  do  anything  else,  at  your  age  —  " 

"  I  know  as  much  as  other  children  ten  years  old, 
Monsieur  Goefle." 

"The  devil!  ten  years  old?  Are  you  only  ten  years 
old?  Your  aunt  said  that  you  were  thirteen  or  four- 
teen. Well,  brat,  what  is  the  matter?  What  are  you 
crying  about  ?  " 

4i  Why,  Monsieur  Doctor,  you  are  scolding  me ;  it  is 
not  my  fault  if  I  am  only  ten  years  old." 

"  Correct !  That  is  the  first  sensible  remark  you  have 
made  since  I  was  so  fortunate  as  to  take  you  into  my 
service  this  morning.  Come,  dry  your  eyes  and  wipe 
your  nose.  I  am  not  angry.  You  are  large  and  strong 
for  your  age,  at  all  events  ;  and  what  you  don't  know, 
you  will  learn.  What  do  you  say  ?  " 

"  Oh  yes,  Monsieur  Goefle  !  that  is  just  what  I  should 
like." 

"  But  will  you  learn  quickly  ?  I  am  very  impatient,  I 
can  tell  you  !  " 

"  Yes  indeed,  monsieur,  I  will  learn  everything  right 
off." 

"  Do  you  know  how  to  make  a  bed?  " 

"  I  think  so.  At  the  pastor's  I  always  used  to  make 
mine  all  by  myself." 

"  Or  you  did  not  make  it  at  all !  Never  mind,  we  shall 
soon  see." 

"  But,  Monsieur  Goefle,  when  my  aunt  came  to  Falun 
this  morning  to  see  me  off  on  my  'journey,  she  told  me 
that  I  wouldn't  have  to  work.  She  said  :  '  You  won't 
have  anything  to  do  at  the  chateau  where  you  are  going 


20  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

with  your  master.     In  the  chateau  of  the  Baron  de — 
de  — ' " 

"  De  Waldemora?  " 

"  Yes,  that's  it !  — '  there  are  beautiful  rooms  always  in 
order,  and  plenty  of  servants  to  do  everything.  What 
Monsieur  Goefle  wants  is,  that  you  should  always  be  on 
hand  to  give  orders  in  his  place.  He  don't  wish  to  take 
Francois,  because  Francois  would  never  stay  in  his  room. 
He  was  always  drinking,  and  amusing  himself  with  the 
other  servants,  and  monsieur  would  have  to  run  and  hunt 
him  up  to  get  what  he  wanted.  That  put  him  out,  and 
he  did  not  like  it  at  all.  Now  you  must  be  very  good, 
and  never  leave  him  ;  do  you  hear  ?  You  must  see  that  he 
is  well  waited  upon,  and  then  you  will  be  waited  upon 
too.'  " 

"  So,"  said  the  doctor,  "  that  is  what  you  expect !  " 

"  I  am  sure  I  am  very  good,  Monsieur  Goefle.  I  don't 
leave  you  ;  I  am  not  running  about  with  the  tall  servants 
at  the  chateau." 

"  Would  to  heaven  you  were  !  I  defy  you  to  do  any- 
thing of  the  kind,  however,  in  our  present  quarters." 

"  Why?  Is  the  road  over  the  lake  the  only  way  to  iY  -. 
new  chateau  ?  " 

"The   only   way;  otherwise,  I    see  plainly  that     ' 
would  already  be  with  the  tall  valets  in  livery." 

"Oh  no,  Monsieur  Goefle,  since  you  wouldn't  like 
But  how  beautiful  it  was  over  there  !  " 

"Where,  at  Waldemora?  " 

"  Yes,  that's  the  name  of  the  new  chateau.  Oh,  Mon- 
sieur Goefle,  it  was  a  great  deal  prettier  than  it  is  here  ! 
And  there  were  so  many  people  I  didn't  feel  at  all  afraid." 

"  Very  good,  Master  Nils  !  That  magnificent  palace, 
with  its  splendid  company,  its  turmoil,  torches,  feasting 
and  revelry,  has  turned  your  head  for  you,  I'm  afraid. 
For  my  part,  it  doesn't  suit  my  taste  to  spend  the  night  at 
a  ball,  and  wait  until  day  for  the  chance  of  sharing  a 
room  with  four  or  five  young  fools,  intoxicated,  and  per- 
haps quarrelsome.  *I  like  to  eat  little,  but  often  and 
quietly,  to  sleep  only  a  few  hours,  but  without  being  di.° 
turbed.  Besides,  I  did  not  come  here  to  amuse  mysel 


* 
THE  SNOW  MAN.  21 

I  have  important  business  to  transact  for  the  baron,  and 
I  must  have  iny  room,  my  table,  my  writing-desk,  and  a 
little  silence.  The  baron  is  to  blame,  I  must  say,  for  al- 
lowing himself  to  forget,  amid  his  festivities  and  enter- 
tainments, that  I  am  no  longer  a  young  student,  eager  for 
music  and  dancing.  He  ought  to  have  had  this  room 
prepared  for  me,  or  some  other,  in  a  quiet  place,  out  of  the 
reach  of  importunate  visitors.  When  I  saw  the  amaze- 
ment of  the  servants  at  my  arrival,  and  their  inability  to 
provide  me  with  suitable  quarters,  it  would  have  taken 
very  little  to  make  me  return  to  Falun.  But  I  was  afraid 
of  the  snow-storm,  and  then  Loki  was  too  warm ;  I  re- 
membered, happily,  that  there  was  a  haunted  room  at  old 
Stollborg  that  every  one  was  afraid  of,  and  which,  conse- 
quently, was  never  used.  Here  we  are,  and  we  are 
very  well  off.  To-morrow,  Nils,  you  must  give  a 
thorough  dusting.  I  like  neatness,  for  my  part." 

"  Yes,  Monsieur  Goefle,  I  will  tell  Ulph.  I  am  not 
tall  enough  to  reach  so  high." 

"  So  I  see.     Well,  we  will  tell  Ulph." 

"Why   do   they   call  this   the   bear-room,   Monsieur 
toefle?" 

y  '  It  is  a  name  like  any  other, "  replied  the  lawyer, 
for  was  arranging  his  papers  in  the  drawer  of  the  table, 
y<^  who  did  not  think  it  worth  while  to  explain  the  shield 

master  Nils. 

Soon,  however,  he  noticed  that  the  child's  terror  had 
redoubled. 

"  What  is  the  matter  ?  "  he  said  impatiently.  "  You  do 
nothing  but  follow  me  about,  and  don't  give  me  the  least 
assistance." 

"  I  am  afraid  of  the  bear, "  replied  the  courageous 
Nils.  "  At  Falun  you  were  speaking  with  the  pastor  about 
the  great  bear.  I  could  understand." 

"  I  was  speaking  about  the  great  bear  !  What  do  you 
mean  ?  Oh  yes,  you  are  right !  The  pastor  is  something 
of  an  astronomer,  and  we  were  saying  —  take  courage, 
my  brave  youth — we  were  talking -about  the  great  bear 
ip  in  the  sky." 

"  Oh  !  the  great  bear  is  up  in  the  sky  !  "  cried  Nils,  re- 


22  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

covering  his  spirits.  "Then  it  is  not  here?  It  will  not 
come  into  this  room?" 

"  No,"  said  the  lawyer,  laughing  ;  "  it  is  too  far  away, 
too  high  up !  If  it  should  try  to  come  down  it  would 
break  its  paws.  Now,  then,  you  are  no  longer  afraid  ?  " 

"  Oh  no  !  I  am  not  afraid  now !  But  what  if  it 
should  tumble  down?  " 

"  Bah  !  It  is  fastened  firmly  by  seven  large  diamond 
nails  !  " 

"  Was  it  the  good  God  who  nailed  it  up  there  because 
it  was  so  wicked  ?  " 

"  Probably !  Are  you  quite  sure  now  that  you  are 
not  afraid  ?  " 

"  Oh  yes  ! "  said  Nils,  with  a  gesture  of  profound  in- 
credulity. 

"  Go  and  look  for  Ulph,  then,  and  tell  him  —  " 

"  But,  M.  Goefle,  you  spoke  also  about  the  Snow 
Man !  " 

"  So  we  did  !  You  listen  to  everything  that  is  said,  it 
seems.  That  is  very  agreeable." 

"  Oh  yes,  monsieur  !  "  replied  Nils,  ingenuously  ;  "  I 
listen  to  everything." 

"  And  what  is  the  Snow  Man,  in  your  opinion?" 

"  I  don't  know.  The  pastor  whispered  to  you,  laugh- 
ing :  '  So  you  are  going  to  see  the  Snow  Man  ? ' ' 

"  He  was  talking,  I  suppose,  about  some  mountain  that 
has  that  name." 

"  Oh,  no  indeed  !  For  you  said  :  '  Does  he  walk  as 
straight  as  ever  ? '  and  the  pastor  said :  '  He  is  always 
hunting  on  his  lake.'  Oh,  I  understand  Swedish  just 
as  well  as  Dalecarlian  !  " 

"  And  what  do  you  think  from  that?" 

"  Oh,  that  there  is  a  great  tall  snow  man  who  walks 
on  the  lake  we  have  just  come  over." 

"  Exactly !  And  who  is  always  followed  by  a  great 
bear  !  You  have  some  imagination,  child !  Is  the  bear 
white,  or  black?" 

"  I  don't  know,  Monsieur  Goefle." 

"  We  ought   to  know  about   that,   though,  before  de- 


THE  SNOW  MAN.  23 

ciding  to  take  supper  in  this  room.  What  if  they  should 
come  and  sit  down  at  the  table  with  us?" 

Nils  saw  plainly  that  M.  Goefle  was  joking,  and  he 
began  to  laugh.  The  lawyer  was  congratulating  him- 
self upon  his  method  of  curing  children  of  fear,  when 
the  little  fellow,  who  had  suddenly  become  serious  again, 
said : 

"  Monsieur  Goefle,  let  us  go  away  from  here.  This 
is  a  very  ugly  place." 

"  This  is  too  much ! "  cried  the  lawyer,  pettishly. 
"  What  plagues  children  are  !  I  am  good  enough  to  ex- 
plain to  my  young  gentleman  that  the  bear  is  a  constel- 
lation, and  he  is  more  frightened  then  ever." 

Nils,  seeing  that  his  master  was  angry,  l>egan  to  cry. 
He  was  a  spoiled  child,  yet  timid.  M.  Goefle,  who  was 
thoroughly  good-hearted,  imagined,  and  took  pleasure  in 
saying,  that  he  did  not  like  children,  and  that  if  any- 
thing could  console  him  for  not  having  married  at  a 
proper  age,  it  was  the  intellectual  freedom  that  is  enjoyed 
by  those  who  have  no  children  to  take  care  of  and  be  re- 
sponsible for.  The  keen  sensibility  with  which  he  was 
endowed,  ho'wever,  which  his  stirring  and  active  profes- 
sional life  had  developed  without  his  knowledge,  made  it 
impossible  for  him  to  endure  the  tears  and  complaints  of 
the  weak.  Accordingly  he  tried  to  console  and  encour- 
age his  little  valet,  at  the  very  same  time  that  he  was  grumb- 
ling at  his  folly,  and  while  persisting  in  his  passion  for 
intellectual  and  subtle  discussions,  a  style  of  argument 
that  gains  cases  when  you  are  trying  to  persuade  men, 
but  which  is  almost  sure  to  lose  them  when  you  are  deal- 
ing with  children.  He  even  went  so  far  as  to  promise 
that  he  would  run  the  great  bear  through  the  body  with 
his  sword,  if  it  should  come  to  the  door  of  the  room, 
rather  than  allow  it  to  enter. 

M.  Goefle  excused  himself  the  more  readily  for  his 
absurd  condescension,  as  he  called  it,  because  he  found 
that  a  witty  account  of  his  evening  at  Stollborg,  with 
which  he  proposed  to  entertain  his  friends  at  Gevala,  was 
involuntarily  taking  form  in  his  mind. 

In  the  meanwhile  Ulph  did  not  return.    'That  he  would 


24  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

require  some  time  to  get  up  a  supper  in  M.  Stenson's 
modest  establishment,  the  lawyer  was  prepared  to  antici- 
pate ;  but  he  did  not  bring  back  the  light,  and  this  was  an 
unpardonable  piece  of  forgetfulness. 

The  end  of  the  candle  was  going  out  in  the  lantern, 
and  the  lawyer,  who  prided  himself  upon  his  white  hands 
and  irreproachable  ruffles,  dared  not  touch  this  villanous 
utensil  to  light  himself  about  the  room.  He  was  obliged 
to  submit  to  this  disagreeable  necessity,  however,  in  order 
to  go  into  the  adjoining  apartment ;  he  wanted  to  search 
the  closet,  whose  key  Ulph  had  given  him,  and  which  he 
hoped  might  contain  some  provisions  or  pieces  of  candle. 
Nils  followed,  holding  him  softly  by  the  flap  of  the  coat. 

These  two  rooms  which  M.  Goefle  proposed  to  occupy, 
were  separated  from  each  other  by  an  unusually  thick 
wall,  and  two  solid  doors.  The  lawyer  was  well  acquainted 
with  the  locality,  but  it  was  so  long  since  his  business 
had  required  him  to  visit  the  interior  of  the  building,  that 
he  had  some  difficulty  in  finding  the  first  of  the  two 
doors.  He  looked  for  it  opposite  the  outer  entrance,  and 
he  was  right ;  but  instead  of  being  on  a  straight  line  with 
it,  it  was  a  little  to  the  left.  Like  the  secret  door  that 
Cristiano  had  accidentally  discovered  under  the  staircase, 
and  whose  existence  had  never  been  suspected  either  by 
the  doctor  or  Ulphilas,  it  was  entirely  concealed  in  the 
wainscot.  There  was  no  affectation  of  mystery,  how- 
ever, in  this  style  of  door,  closing  perfectly  without  any 
visible  lock ;  this  peculiarity  was  merely  the  result  of 
very  careful  joinery  work,  which  becomes  almost  an  art 
in  cold  countries. 

M.  Goefle  did  not  find  it  necessary  to  look  into  the  closet, 
after  he  had  once  taken  possession  of  the  double-bedded 
room.  Glancing  at  the  mantle-piece,  he  saw  a  pair  of 
heavy  candlesticks  with  three  branches,  each  of  them 
holding  three  wax  candles.  It  was  time  ;  the  end  of  the 
candle  was  expiring  in  the  lantern. 

"  Since  there  is  no  danger  of  our  being  left  in  the 
dark,"  said  M.  Goefle  to  the  child,  "  we  may  as  well 
make  our  arrangements  here  at  once.  Light  the  fire,  and 
I  will  take  the  bed-clothes  from  the  closet." 


THE   SNOW  MAN.  25 

The  bed-clothes  were  laid  upon  the  beds  before  Nils 
had  succeeded  in  doing  anything  more  than  fill  the  room 
with  smoke.  When  it  was  time  to  make  the  beds,  which 
were  enormous,  he  could  think  of  nothing  better  than 
climbing  up  on  top  of  them,  so  as  to  reach  the  middle  of 
the  bolster.  M.  Goefle  was  very  much  inclined  to  get 
angry,  but  since  this  would  only  have  been  a  signal  for 
tears,  he  resigned  himself  to  his  fate,  and  made  not  only 
his  own  bed,  but  that  also  of  his  little  valet. 

Although  he  had  never  done  any  work  of  the  kind,  he 
was  succeeding  very  creditably,  when  a  fearful  noise  in 
the  bear-room  (the  doors  between  the  two  rooms  had 
been  left  open)  interrupted  him.  It  was  a  sort  of  wild, 
unearthly,  and  yet  absurd  yell.  Nils  tumbled  down  on 
his  hands  and  knees,,  and  considered  it  prudent  to  hide 
under  the  bed,  while  M.  Goefle,  with  staring  eyes  and 
open  mouth,  asked  himself,  without  any  alarm,  but  with 
great  surprise,  what  could  be  the  meaning  of  such  a  sere- 
nade. 

"  If,  as  I  firmly  believe,  "  he  thought,  "  it  is  some  prac- 
tical joker  who  wants  to  frighten  me,  he  imitates  the 
growling  of  the  bear  in  a  singular  manner.  The  voice 
of  the  ass  he  really  does  reproduce,  and  with  remarkable 
skill ;  but  does  he  take  me  for  a  Laplander,  and  imagine 
that  I  have  never  heard  an  ass  bray  ?  Come,  come,  Nils," 
he  continued,  looking  for  his  little  valet,  "  there  is  no 
magic  here  ;  let  us  go  and  see  what  the  matter  is." 

Nils  would  have  perished  rather  than  stir,  or  even  an- 
swer ;  and  M.  Goefle,  not  knowing  what  had  become  of 
him,  went  in  alone  to  reconnoitre. 

He  was  not  a  little  surprised  to  find  himself,  in  the 
middle  of  the  bear-room,  face  to  face  with  a  veritable 
ass,  and  a  fine  one  too  (he  had  never  seen  its  equal  in 
Sweden),  with  such  an  honest  countenance,  that  it  was 
impossible  to  give  him  an  unkind  reception,  or  to  take  his 
visit  in  bad  part. 

"  Well,  my  poor  friend,"  said  Monsieur  Goefle,  laugh- 
ing, "  where  do  you  come  from?  What  are  you  doing 
in  this  country,  and  what  request  did  you  just  make  of 
me?" 


26  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

• 

If  Jean  had  had  the  gift  of  human  speech,  he  would  have 
replied  that  he  had  taken  a  good  nap,  while  confidently 
awaiting  his  master's  return,  in  his  hiding-place  under 
the  staircase,  where  no  one  had  thought  of  looking ;  but 
that,  finding  that  his  master  did  not  return,  and  beginning 
to  feel  very  hungry,  he  had  lost  patience,  and,  undoing 
the  rope,  which  was  not  well  tied,  had  come  to  ask  M. 
Goefle  for  some  supper. 

The  latter  easily  guessed  what  he  wanted,  but  he 
could  not  understand  why  Ulph,  whom  he  supposed  in- 
trusted with  the  care  of  this  ass,  should  have  given  him 
the  haunted  chamber  of  Stollborg  for  a  stable.  He 
thought  of  a  world  of  things.  As  this  animal  is  a 
great  rarity  in  cold  countries,  the  baron,  who  had  a  team 
of  reindeer  as  well  (another  rarity  in  this  region,  too 
cold  for  the  ass  and  not  cold  enough  for  the  reindeer), 
probably  valued  him  very  highly,  and  had  ordered  the 
overseer  of  the  old  chateau  to  take  care  of  him,  and  keep 
him  in  a  warm  place. 

"  That  accounts  for  the  fire  in  the  stove,"  said  M. 
Goefle  to  himself;  "but  I  can't  understand  why  Ulph, 
instead  of  telling  the  simple  truth,  should  have  pretended 
to  believe  the  room  haunted.  Perhaps  he  was  ordered 
to  fit  up  one  of  the  stables  for  the  occasion,  and  not 
having  done  so,  wished  to  conceal  his  negligence  ;  he  hoped, 
no  doubt,  that  I  would  be  disgusted  with  the  room,  or  would 
not  notice  the  presence  of  this  strange  companion.  Any- 
how," M.  Goefle  added,  turning  gayly  to  Jean,  whose  face 
amused  him,  u  I  beg  your  pardon,  my  poor  ass,  but  I  don't 
feel  inclined  to  keep  you  so  near  me.  You  have  a  remark- 
ably good  voice,  and  I  don't  sleep  soundly.  I  am  going  to 
take  you  to  Loki,  who  will  be  a  warm,  comfortable  com- 
panion ;  and,  for  to-night,  you  will  have  to  share  his 
supper  and  straw.  Come,  Nils,  come,  my  child ;  you 
must  light  me  to  the  stable." 

Receiving  no  reply,  M.  Goefle  was  obliged  to  return  to 
the  guard-room  and  find  the  child's  hiding  place  ;  pulling 
him  out  by  one  leg,  he  carried  him  back  and  seated  him, 
whether  he  would  or  not,  upon  the  back  of  the  ass. 
At  first,  Master  Nils,  thinking  that  he  was  astride  the 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


27 


imaginary  bear,  uttered  piercing  cries.  He  had  never 
seen  an  ass,  and  was  as  much  alarmed  by  Jean's  long 
ears  as  he  would  have  been  by  the  horns  of  the  devil ; 
but  gradually  the  tranquillity  and  gentleness  of  the  poor 
beast  restored  his  courage.  M.  Goefle  gave  him  the  can- 
dlestick with  three  branches  ;  he  himself  led  the  ass  by 
the  halter,  and,  leaving  the  tower,  they  all  three  turned  into 
the  wooden  gallery,  with  its  mossy  shed,  that  surrounded 
the  snow-covered  court,  and  proceeded  towards  the  sta- 
ble. 

At  this  very  moment,  Ulph  came  out  of  the  pavilion 
in  which  his  uncle  lived,  and  proceeded  towards  the  tower, 
with  a  lantern  in  one  hand,  and  in  the  other  a  large 
basket-full  of  articles  for  setting  the  lawyer's  table.  Ulph 
now  was  as  eager  to  return  to  the  bear-room  as,  a  little 
while  before,  he  had  been  unwilling  to  enter  it.  This  is 
what  had  happened  to  him. 

Like  a  true  Swede,  Ulph  Avas  all  kindness  and  hospi- 
tality ;  but  since  he  had  been  living  in  the  gloomy  chateau 
of  Stollborg,  with  his  deaf  and  melancholy  uncle,  the 
poor  fellow  had  become  so  superstitious  and  cowardly  that 
he  never  failed  to  lock  himself  up  in  his  room  as  soon  as 
the  sun  went  down,  with  the  firm  resolution  of  not  ad- 
mitting any  suspicious  characters  after  that  hour,  but  of 
leaving  them  rather  to  perish  in  the  ice  and  snow.  If 
the  outer  door  of  the  chateau  had  not  been  broken  open 
by  Puffb's  vigorous  fist,  and  if  Ulph  had  not  recognized 
the  lawyer's  voice  in  the  court,  the  respectable  doctor  of 
laws  would  certainly  have  been  obliged  to  return  to  the 
new  chateau,  in  spite  of  his  dread  of  its  noise  and  con- 
fusion. 

After  introducing  him  into  the  tower,  Ulph  became  a 
little  more  tranquil.  He  even  said  to  himself  that  it 
was  all  for  the  best.  If  M.  Goefle  wanted  to  defy  the 
devil  it  was  his  own  business,  and  it  was  far  better  to  have 
to  admit  him  than  to  be  obliged  to  reconduct  him  to  the 
new  chateau ;  an  order  that  would  have  entailed  upon 
the  unfortunate  guide  the  terrible  necessity  of  returning 
alone  over  a  lake  peopled  with  frightful  goblins.  The  old 
overseer  of  Stollborg  was  delicate,  chilly,  and  accustomed 


28  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

to  retire  early.  Happily,  he  had  already  shut  himself 
up  in  his  pavilion,  which  stood  at  the  end  of  a  small 
inner  court,  and  which  had  no  view  of  the  outer  court, 
as  all  its  windows  overlooked  the  lake.  Whether  asleep 
or  not,  therefore,  it  was  not  at  all  likely  that  he  would 
suspect  the  presence  of  his  guest  before  the  next  morn- 
ing. After  reflecting  deeply,  Ulph  resolved  not  to  dis- 
turb him,  and  to  do  his  best  to  prepare  M.  Goefle  a  good 
supper.  Sten  himself  was  very  frugal,  but  he  was  treated 
with  great  consideration  by  his  master,  the  Baron  de 
Waldemora  (proprietor  both  of  the  new  chateau  and  the 
old  tower),  who,  once  for  all,  had  given  his  new  steward 
the  strictest  orders  to  provide  liberally  for  this  old  and 
faithful  servant  of  his  house. 

Ulph  loved  good  living,  and  seeing  that  his  uncle  sent 
back,  out  of  prudence  and  economy,  the  superfluous  pro- 
visions brought  from  the  new  chateau,  he  made  arrange- 
ments, without  telling  him  anything  about  it,  to  receive 
everything  himself.  He  concealed  his  gastronomic  wealth 
in  a  certain  mysterious  corner  of  the  kitchen,  and  kept 
his  bottles  of  old  wine,  which  must  have  been  exceedingly 
valuable  in  a  country  where  the  vine  is  a  hot-house 
plant,  piled  up  behind  a  row  of  empty  hogsheads,  in  a 
certain  little  cellar  in  the  rock,  very  cool  in  summer  and 
very  warm  in  winter. 

Ulph  was  not  covetous  ;  he  was  an  honest  fellow,  who 
would  not  upon  any  account  have  made  money  out  of  the 
baron's  presents.  He  was  good-hearted  too,  and,  when- 
ever he  could  keep  a  friend  with  him,  he  invited  him  in  a 
mysterious  manner  to  share  his  precious  bottles ;  drink- 
ing alone  is  sad,  and  he  was  only  too  happy  to  be  able  to 
enjoy  them  in  company.  But  it  was  so  well  established 
that  the  chateau  was  haunted,  not  by  a  bear,  as  Nils 
imagined,  but  by  an  unhappy  ghost,  that  poor  Ulph  could 
not  persuade  a  single  boon  companion  to  stop  with  him  a 
moment  after  sunset.  To  keep  up  his  courage,  he 
was  obliged  to  finish  his  bottles  himself;  and  it  was  at 
such  times  that  he  beheld  the  wicked  trolls  and  stroemlcarls, 
who  try  to  lead  their  victims  to  waterfalls,  and  throw 
them  in.  It  was  probably  to  avoid  being  tempted  to  fol- 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


29 


low  them,  that  the  judicious  Ulphilas  drank  until  he  had 
entirely  lost  the  use  of  his  legs.  There  were  a  number 
of  free-thinkers  and  cosmopolites  who  did  not  believe  in 
anything,  among  the  baron's  numerous  suite  of  servants, 
but  Stenson  hated  them  all  more  or  less,  and  his  nephew 
Ulphilas  shared  his  antipathies. 

Ulphilas  Stenson,  therefore,  had  plenty  of  materials  "for 
the  doctor's  supper,  and  he  was  not  a  bad  hand  at  frying 
and  roasting.  After  all,  the  lawyer's  gayety  had  in- 
spirited him  a  little,  and  he  was  looking  forward  to  hav- 
ing a  pleasant  chat  while  waiting  on  the  table,  when  his 
cheerful  ideas  were  suddenly  disturbed  by  strange  sounds. 
He  imagined  that  he  heard  a  stealthy  rustling  in  the  thick 
Avails,  a  creaking  in  the  wainscots !  Twenty  times  the 
frying-pan  fell  from  his  hand,  and  at  one  moment  he  was 
so  sure  that  his  signs  of  terror  were  repeated  behind  him 
by  a  mocking  echo,  that  he  remained  for  three  good  min- 
utes without  daring  to  breathe,  and  far  less  to  turn 
around. 

This  was  what  made  him  so  slow  in  preparing  this 
much-desired  repast.  At  last,  when  he  had  finished  his 
work  after  a  fashion,  he  went  down  into  the  cellar  to  get 
some  wine.  There  new  agonies  awaited  him.  Just  as 
he  was  about  leaving  this  sanctuary  with  a  sufficient 
load,  a  tall  black  figure  glided  before  him.  His  lantern 
went  out,  and  the  same  mysterious  steps  that  had  already 
frightened  him  almost  out  of  his  wits,  went  rapidly  up 
the  cellar  stairs.  Ulph  came  very  near  fainting ;  but, 
recovering  his  courage,  he  returned  to  the  kitchen,  and 
leaving  his  saucepans  simmering  on  the  stove,  resolved, 
under  the  pretence  of  setting  the  table,  to  go  and  see 
whether  M.  Goefle  would  not  cure  him  of  his  terror. 

It  was  at  this  very  moment,  as  he  was  coming  along 
the  wooden  gallery  with  his  useful  load,  that  he  met  face 
to  face  a  whimsical  apparition.  There  before  him  he  be- 
held the  doctor  of  laws  in  his  night-cap,  leading  by  the 
halter  a  strange,  monstrous  animal  (like  a  true  Dalecar- 
lian  peasant  of  those  days,  Ulph  had  never  seen  the  ass, 
and  perhaps  had  never  heard  of  it),  while  upon  this 
animal,  whose  long  ears  cast  gigantic  shadows  along  the 


30  THE   SNO  W  MAN. 

gallery,  rode  a  little  red  devil  bearing  a  triple  flame  ;  the 
very  imp  whom  M.  Goefle  had  wished  to  pass  off  as  his 
valet,  but  who  could  only  be  the  kobold  in  person,  the 
familiar  demon  whom  he  had  boasted  of  having  in  his 
service. 

This  was  too  much  for  poor  Ulph.  He  respected  ko- 
bolds,  but  he  did  not  want  to  see  them.  His  grasp  failed  ; 
he  set  his  basket  on  the  ground,  and,  turning  short  round, 
fled,  and  shut  himself  up  in  his  room,  swearing  by  his 
eternal  salvation  that  he  would  not  come  out  again  that 
night,  even  although  the  lawyer  should  die  of  hunger 
and  the  devil  should  eat  up  his  supper. 

It  was  all  in  vain  that  M.  Goefle  called.  He  received 
no  reply,  and  after  conducting  the  ass  to  the  stable,  he 
took  up  the  abandoned  basket  and  returned  to  set  the 
table,  with  Nils's  help,  in  the  bear-room. 

"Well,"  he  said,  "travellers  must  be  philosophical. 
Here  are  glasses,  dishes  and  napkins,  so  we  will  hope 
that  that  lunatic  will  provide  us  with  some  food  as  well. 
We  shall  have  to  wait  his  good  pleasure,  since  there  is  no 
means  of  doing  otherwise  ;  and,  in  the  meanwhile,  we 
can  open  these  bottles,  which  look  promising." 

Nils  set  the  table  quite  neatly,  the  fire  blazed  merrily 
in  the  stove,  and  Monsieur  Goefle  had  quite  recovered 
his  natural  good-humor,  when  the  child  began  tumbling 
about  in  a  languid,  helpless  way,  which  showed  that  he 
had  suddenly  become  sleepy. 

"  Look  out  there  !  "  cried  the  lawyer  ;  "  wake  up  ! 
You  have  to  eat  yet ;  you  must  be  hungry." 

"  Oh  yes  !  Monsieur  Goefle,"  replied  the  child  ;  "  but 
I  want  to  sleep  so  much !  I  can  never  wait  all  the  while 
until  your  supper  is  brought  and  you  have  done  eating. 
Give  me  a  little  of  this  bread  and  blackberry  jam  ;  then 
I  will  be  stronger,  and  will  wait  upon  you." 

M.  Goefle  himself  opened  the  plate  of  sweetmeats, 
and  Nils  seated  himself  unceremoniously  in  the  place 
intended  for  his  master,  while  the  latter  warmed  his  feet, 
which  had  been  chilled  by  their  expedition  to  the  stable. 
M.  Goefle  was  as  active  in  imagination  as  fluent  in 
speech.  When  there  was  no  opportunity  for  talking,  his 


THE  SNOW  MAN.  31 

mind  kept  busily  at  work,  or  he  abandoned  himself  to 
agreeable  reveries.  In  a  little  while  he  began  to  feel  the 
pangs  of  hunger  again,  and  turned  to  see  whether  Ulph 
had  returned,  at  last,  with  some  more  solid  dish  than 
sweetmeats  ;  but  he  only  saw  little  Nils  fast  asleep,  Avith 
his  head  on  the  table  and  his  nose  in  the  plate. 

"  Come,  come  !  "  he  said,  shaking  him  ;  "  now  that 
you  have  had  something  to  eat,  you  must  keep  awake. 
I  want  you  to  wait  upon  me.  Go  and  see  whether 
Ulph  —  " 

It  was  useless  for  M.  Goefle  to  finish.  Nils  was 
overcome  by  the  irresistible  sleep  of  childhood.  He  got 
up,  but  his  eyes  were  vacant,  and  he  staggered  like  a 
drunken  man.  The  lawyer  really  pitied  him. 

"  Well,  go  to  bed,"  he  said,  "  since  you  are  good 
for  nothing." 

Nils  turned  to  go  to  the  guard-room,  but  stopped  at 
the  door,  and,  leaning  against  it,  fell  fast  asleep  standing. 
He  had  to  be  carried  to  bed.  Then  there  was  another 
trouble.  The  little  man  really  could  not  take  off  his 
gaiters.  M.  Goefle  had  to  take  off  his  valet's  gaiters, 
and  this  was  not  an  easy  task,  for  the  shoes  were  tight, 
and  the  child's  legs  were  swollen  with  fatigue. 

When  he  was  going  to  hoist  him  into  his  bed,  he  saw 
that  the  little  rogue  had  already  crept  in,  all  dressed. 

"  The  devil  take  you  !  "  he  said  ;  "  do  you  suppose  I 
gave  you  those  beautiful  new  clothes  to  sleep  in  ?  Get 
up  and  undress  yourself ;  it  is  the  least  you  can  do." 

He  pulled  him  out  of  bed,  whether  he  wished  it  or  not, 
but  the  child  made  useless  efforts  to  unbutton  himself. 
Aunt  Gertrude,  delighted  to  have  full  swing  in  dressing 
him  up  like  a  little  valet  before  introducing  him  to  his 
master,  had  had  his  elk-skin  small  clothes  and  his  red 
cloth  vest  made  so  tight,  that  they  fitted  him  like  wax. 
M.  Goefle  himself  could  scarcely  pull  them  off.  While 
thus  engaged,  he  had  to  take  him  upon  his  knees  before 
the  fire,  for  the  child  was  shivering  with  cold.  It  was 
useless  for  him  to  get  angry,  and  curse  Gertrude  for  giv- 
ing him  such  a  servant ;  he  could  not  be  so  inhuman  as 
to  let  him  freeze.  And  then  Nils  disarmed  him  by  his 


32  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

pretty  ways.  At  every  word  of  reproach,  he  would  reply 
artlessly : 

"  You  will  see  to-morrow,  Monsieur  Goefle  :  I  will  do 
all  that  you  tell  me,  and  then  I  will  love  you  so  much  ! " 

"  That  will  always  be  the  way,"  replied  the  good 
lawyer,  shaking  him  a  little.  "  I  prefer  to  be  rather 
less  loved  and  a  little  better  waited  on." 

At  last  Nils  was  in  bed,  and  M.  Goefle  turned  to  go 
in  quest  of  his  problematical  supper,  when  the  child 
called  him  back  unceremoniously,  and  said  in  a  reproach- 
ful voice : 

"  Wait,  monsieur ;  you  are  not  going  to  leave  me  all 
alone ! " 

"What  more?"  cried  the  doctor  of  laws.  "Do  you 
want  company  to  sleep  ?  " 

.  "  But,  Monsieur  Goefle,  I  never  slept  alone  in  my 
room  at  the  pastor's  house  ;  and  here,  above  all,  where  I 
am  so  afraid.  Oh !  stop  —  stop ;  if  you  are  going  to 
leave  me,  I  had  rather  sleep  on  the  floor  in  the  room 
where  you  are." 

Wide  awake  now  as  a  cat,  Nils  jumped  out  of  bed, 
and  started  to  follow  his  master  into  the  bear-room,  in 
his  shirt.  M.  Goefle  lost  all  patience.  He  scolded ; 
Nils  took  to  crying  again.  He  was  going  to  shut  him 
up.  Nils  began  to  howl.  The  doctor  of  laws  formed 
an  heroic  determination. 

"  Since  I  have  been  so  foolish,"  he  said,  "as  to  sup- 
pose that  a  child  ten  years  old  was  fourteen,  and  to 
imagine  that  Gertrude  had  a  grain  of  common  sense  in 
her  brain,  I  must  pay  the  penalty.  Five  minutes'  pa- 
tience and  this  young  rogue  will  be  fast  asleep ;  while, 
if  I  excite  him  by  my  opposition,  God  only  knows  how 
long  I  shall  have  to  hear  him  groaning  or  braying." 

He  went  into  the  bear-room  to  get  one  of  his  bundles 
of  papers,  not  without  cursing  the  child,  who  followed 
with  naked  feet,  and  would  scarcely  give  him  time  to 
find  his  spectacles  ;  and  then  sat  down  before  the  fire  in 
the  guard-room,  with  the  doors  shut,  as  it  was  not  very 
warm.  After  asking  Nils  ironically  whether  he  did  not 
want  to  be  sung  to  sleep,  he  buried  himself  in  his  dusty 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


33 


papers,  and  forgot  all  about  the  supper,  which  did  not 
arrive,  and  the  child,  who  was  snoring  with  all  his 
might. 


II. 

"DUT  what  was  Cristiano  about  while  M.  Goefle  was 
^^  meeting  with  all  these  adventures?  The  reader  has 
probably  guessed  that  the  mocking  goblin  wandering 
about  poor  Ulph  in  kitchen  and  cellar  was  our  adven- 
turer in  person,  in  pursuit  of  his  supper.  Ulph's  terrors 
and  agonies  enabled  him  to  carry  off  the  most  portable 
dishes  in  the  kitchen,  almost  under  his  nose.  In  the 
cellar  he  was  less  fortunate.  On  blowing  out  the  cow- 
ard's light,  he  had  found  himself  in  such  utter  darkness 
that  he  was  afraid  of  being  shut  up  fasting  in  this  subter- 
ranean vault.  He  had  hastened,  therefore,  to  retrace  his 
steps,  while  consoling  himself  with  the  thought  that  he 
could  seize  the  bottles  which  Ulph  would  be  sure  to  bring 
up,  at  a  more  favorable  moment. 

The  adventurer  had  lost  some  little  time  in  cautiously 
exploring  the  secret  passage  of  the  bear-room,  which  we 
shall  describe  rather  later ;  escaping  from  it  with  some 
difficulty,  he  introduced  himself  secretly  into  M.  Sten- 
son's  pavilion,  and  so  had  not  been  in  a  position  to 
notice  M.  Goefle's  arrival.  He  thought,  therefore,  that 
the  supper  was  being  prepared  for  the  old  overseer. 
Before  returning  to  his  self-selected  lodging,  he  had  still 
to  find  some  supper  for  his  ass,  and  for  several  moments 
after  Ulph's  final  fit  of  terror,  he  was  wandering  about  in 
the  small  court  adjoining  the  outer  enclosure  ;  hence 
he  lost  the  diverting  spectacle  of  M.  Goefle  in  his  night- 
cap, leading  the  ass  in  triumph  to  the  stable,  with  the 
lieip  of  his  kobold  in  red  livery.  As  he  explored  the  old 
building  in  every  direction,  and  opened  all  the  doors  that 
were  not  firmly  bolted,  Cristiauo  came  at  last  to  the 
stable,  where  he  was  delighted  to  see  Master  Jean  eating 
his  supper  with  a  good  appetite,  and  trampling  upon  a 

3 


34 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


thick  litter  of  dry  moss,  in  company  with  a  handsome 
black  horse,  Avho  seemed  to  make  him  very  welcome. 

"Really,  beasts  are  sometimes  more  reasonable  and 
more  hospitable  than  men,"  thought  Cristiano,  caressing 
the  noble  animal.  "  Since  we  have  been  travelling  in 
this  cold  country,  Jean  has  been  regarded  with  amaze- 
ment, fear,  or  repugnance,  in  the  various  villages  and 
peasants'  huts  where  we  have  stopped,  and  I  myself,  in 
spite  of  the  affable  manners  of  the  people  of  this  country, 
have  fallen  into  a  strange  den  of  gloomy  or  absent- 
minded  beings,  where  I  am  obliged  to  go  marauding, 
like  a  soldier  on  a  campaign.  This  good  horse,  on  the 
contrary,  makes  room  for  Jean  in  his  stall,  without 
asking  him  the  meaning  of  his  long  ears,  and  treats  him 
from  the  start  as  an  equal.  Well,  Jean,  good-night,  my 
friend  !  If  I  should  ask  you  who  had  brought  you  here 
and  supplied  your  wants  to  your  heart's  desire,  you 
would  not  perhaps  have  the  goodness  to  reply ;  and  I 
should  suppose,  if  I  did  not  see  that  some  one  had  tied 
you  by  your  halter,  that  you  had  been  sensible  enough 
to  come  of  your  own  accord.  Well,  anyhow  I  will  fol- 
low your  example,  and  go  and  take  my  supper  without 
thinking  of  the  morrow." 

Cristiano  shut  the  stable-door  and  returned  to  the 
bear-room,  where  he  was  agreeably  surprised  to  find  the 
table  set  with  handsome  dishes,  heavy  silver,  and  a 
white  table-cloth,  soiled  only  by  a  few  sweetmeat  stains 
around  Nils's  plate. 

"Hallo!"  cried  the  adventurer,  gayly,  "these  good 
people  have  finished,  or  rather  they  have  begun  with  the 
desert !  But  who  the  devil  has  been  here  in  my  absence  ? 
Puffo  would  not  have  been  neat  enough  to  set  the  table  ; 
that  is  not  at  all  his  style  in  travelling.  Besides,  he  must 
have  gone  to  the  new  chateau  to  seek  his  fortune,  or  I 
should  have  met  him  while  exploring  the  old  one.  In 
fact,  I  never  expected  to  receive  any  assistance  from  that 
fellow.  If  he  has  found  a  comfortable  place  for  himself 
in  some  kitchen,  no  matter  where,  he  will  be  sure  to 
forget  all  about  me,  and  I  was  quite  right  to  take  care 
of  myself.  But  no  matter,  if  he  should  happen  to  return 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


35 


here  to  sleep,  the  poor  devil  must  not  freeze  at  the  door 
of  the  chateau." 

Cristiano  went  and  opened  the  door  of  the  court,  which 
Ulph,  after  M.  Goefle's  arrival,  had  taken  pains  to  fasten, 
and  returned  firmly  resolved  to  have  his  supper,  no  mat- 
ter with  whom,  by  fair  means  or  foul. 

"  I  have  a  right  to  it, "  he  continued  ;  "  the  dishes  are 
empty,  and  the  food  I  bring  fills  them  handsomely.  If  I 
have  a  companion  here,  and  he  proves  good-natured,  we 
will  join  forces  ;  otherwise  we  will  see  which  of  the  two 
is  to  turn  the  other  out  of  doors." 

While  talking  in  this  way,  Cristiano  went  to  see  whether 
his  ba,ggage  had  been  disturbed.  He  found  it  in  the  cor- 
ner where  he  had  left  it,  and  where  it  had  not  been  no- 
ticed. He  then  examined  M.  Goefle's  trunk,  valise  and 
effects  ;  his  clothes  scattered,  about  upon  the  chairs  (the 
linen  carefully  folded  to  be  laid  away  in  a  closet,  and  the 
coats  stretched  over  the  backs  of  the  chairs  to  get  smooth)  ; 
and,  last  of  all,  the  empty  valise,  upon  the  cover  of  which 
he  read  these  words  :  —  M.  Thormund  Goefle,  Advocate, 
Gevala;  Doctor  of  Law,  Faculty  of  Lund. 

"  An  advocate  !  "  thought  the  adventurer.  "  Well,  he 
will  talk,  anyhow  !  A  lawyer  must  always  have  a  little 
wit  and  talent.  He  may  prove  an  agreeable  companion 
if  he  is  sensible  enough  not  to  judge  a  man  by  his  coat. 
But  where  can  he  be  hidden  ?  He  is  some  one,  I  suppose, 
invited  to  the  festivities  at  the  Chateau  de  Waldemora, 
who,  like  myself,'  found  the  house  full,  or  who  fancied 
stopping  in  this  romantic  manor.  Or  he  may  be  the  bus- 
iness man  of  the  rich  baron,  for  it  is  scarcely  likely  that 
citizens  are  admitted  into  the  society  of  the  nobles  in 
this  country  of  castes  and  prejudices.  It  is  nothing  to 
me !  The  lawyer  has  certainly  gone  out,  in  any  event. 
He  may  be  chatting  with  the  old  overseer,  or  perhaps  he 
is  in  the  double-bedded  room  that  we  were  told  about, 
although  I  see  no  signs  of  a  door.  Shall  I  look  for  him  ? 
Who  knows  that  he  has  not  gone  to  bed?  Yes,  that  is 
most  probable.  The  people  here  wished  to  wait  upon  him, 
but  he  declined  everything ;  contenting  himself  with 
sweetmeats,  and  longing  only  for  his  bed.  May  he  sleep 


36  THE  SNO  W  MAN. 

in  peace,  the  worthy  man  I  For  my  part,  I  shall  do  very 
well  in  this  large  arm-chair,  and  if  I  am  cold  —  hallo  ! 
here  is  a  magnificent  cloak  liued  with  fur,  and  a  sable  trav- 
elling cap,  that  will  protect  body  and  ears  from  the  frost. 
Let  me  see  whether  they  will  be  comfortable  !  Yes,  very 
indeed, "  thought  Cristiano,  throwing  the  cloak  over  his 
shoulders,  and  donning  the  cap ;  "  and  that  is  lucky 
for  me  !  What  a  strange  puzzle  life  is !  When  I 
think  that  I  have  followed  a  respectable  profession  for 
ten  years,  and  yet  have  not  a  good  cloak  to  cover  my  poor 
body,  now  that  I  am  lost  in  the  polar  regions,  I  can 
scarcely  believe  my  senses  !  " 

Cristiano  had  already  placed  his  booty,  consisting  of  an 
appetizing  Hamburg  tongue,  a  bear's  leg  smoked  to  per- 
fection, and  a  superb  piece  of  smoked  and  salted  salmon, 
upon  the  table. 

He  was  just  going  to  throw  off  the  doctor's  travelling 
suit  so  as  to  eat  more  at  his  leisure,  when  he  thought  he 
heard  the  tinkling  of  bells  passing  under  the  only  window 
of  the  bear-room. •"  This  window,  which  was  opposite  the 
stove,  was  large,  and  had  a  double  sash,  the  universal 
practice  in  all  comfortable  dwellings,  whether  ancient  or 
modern,  in  northern  countries.  However,  the  outside 
sash  showed  how  Stollborg  had  been  neglected.  Almost 
all  the  glass  panes  were  broken,  and,  as  the  wind  had 
ceased,  you  could  hear  distinctly  the  noises  from  the  out- 
side ;  the  masses  of  recently  fallen  snow  breaking  off 
from  the  old  solid  beds  and  sinking  with  a  dull,  mysterious 
boom  down  the  perpendicular  rocks,  the  distant  shouts 
proceeding  from  the  farm  on  the  shore  of  the  lake,  and 
the  melancholy  howling  of  the  dogs,  saluting  with  unin- 
telligible maledictions  the  red  disk  of  the  rising  moon. 

Cristiano,  who  felt  curious  to  see  the  sleigh  which  was 
cutting  a  path  over  the  frozen  lake  so  near  his 
refuge,  opened  the  inner  sash  and  thrust  his  head 
through  one  of  the  broken  panes.  He  saw  distinctly  a 
fantastic  vision  gliding  along  at  the  foot  of  the  rock.  Two 
magnificent  white  horses,  driven  by  a  bearded  coachman 
dressed  like  a  Russian,  were  drawing  lightly  a  sleigh  that 
flashed  and  glittered  with  a  shimmering  light,  like  a  prec- 


THE  SNOW  MAN.  37 

ions  stone.  The  lantern  ou  this  elegant  vehicle  was  un- 
usually high,  and  looked  like  a  star  swept  along  by  a 
whirlwind,  or  a  will-o'-the-wisp  furiously  chasing  the 
sleigh.  Its  light,  thrown  forward  by  a  reflector  of  red 
gold,  cast  warm  gleams  across  the  blue  moonlight  on  the 
snow,  and  painted  with  rainbow  hues  the  vapor  stream- 
ing from  the  nostrils  and  sides  of  the  horses.  Nothing 
could  have  been  more  graceful  and  poetic  than  this  wheel- 
less  car,  which  might  have  been  that  of  the  fairy  of  the 
lake,  passing  like  a  dream  under  Cristiano's  dazzled  eyes. 
It  is  true  that  he  had  seen  sleighs  of  all  kinds,  from  the 
most  luxurious  to  the  most  simple,  in  passing  through 
Stockholm  and  other  cities  of  the  country,  but  none  of 
them  had  seemed  to  him  so  picturesque  and  so  singular  as 
the  one  now  stopping  at  the  foot  of  the  rock.  For,  he 
could  no  longer  doubt  it,  a  new  visitor,  and  this  time  an 
opulent  one,  was  coming  to  take  possession  of  Stollborg, 
or  to  reconnoitre  that  silent  retreat. 

"  The  sleigh  has  afforded  me  a  beautiful  spectacle," 
thought  Cristiano  ;  "  but  the  devil  take  those  who  are  in 
it  !  Here,  I  wager,  is  another  interruption  to  the  peace- 
ful supper  I  was  promising  myself." 

The  rash  imprecation  died  upon  his  lips  !  A  sweet  and 
really  melodious  voice,  a  woman's  voice,  which,  accord- 
ing to  Cristiano,  could  only  belong  to  a  charming  woman, 
proceeded  from  the  sleigh.  The  voice,  speaking  in  the 
dialect  of  the  province,  which  he  did  not  understand, 
made  this  remark  : 

"  Do  you  think,  Peterson,  that  your  horses  can  ascend 
to  the  door  of  the  old  chateau?  *' 

''Yes,  mademoiselle,"  replied  the  large  coachman, 
muffled  up  in  furs,  "this  evening's  snow  will  make  it  a 
little  troublesome,  but  others  have  been  before  us  already. 
I  see  the  fresh  tracks.  Don't  be  afraid.  We  will  get 
there." 

The  approach  to  Stollborg,  which  M.  Goefle  had  called 
a  little  rock,  was  an  actual  natural  staircase,  consisting  of 
layers  of  schistose  rock  of  unequal  thickness.  In  summer 
it  would  have  been  enough  to  disable  horses  and  carriages  ; 
but  winter  in  the  north  renders  every  road  practicable, 


38  THE  SNO  W  MAN. 

and  every  traveller  intrepid.  A  thick  bed  of  frozen  snow, 
solid  and  smooth  as  marble,  fills  up  all  hollows,  and  levels 
all  inequalities.  The  horses,  shod  for  the  purpose,  climb  dan- 
gerous heights,  and  descend  boldly  the  most  precipitous  de- 
clivities ;  sleighs  are  not  often  upset,  and  accidents,  when 
they  do  occur,  are  seldom  dangerous.  In  a  few  moments 
this  one  stopped  at  the  door  of  the  little  chateau. 

"  You  must  ring  cautiously,"  said  the  sweet  voice  to 
the  coachman  ;  "  you  know,  Peterson,  that  I  don't  want  to 
be  seen  by  the  old  steward,  who,  perhaps,  tells  everything 
that  happens  to  his  master." 

"  Oh,  he  is  so  deaf !  "  replied  the  coachman,  jumping  to 
the  ground.  "  Ulph  wont  say  a  word,  for  he  is  my  friend  ; 
provided  always  that  he  chooses  to  open  the  door.  He  is 
a  little  timid  at  night,  and  no  wonder,  the  chateau  — " 

Peterson  was  probably  going  to  tell  about  the  ghosts 
of  Stollborg,  but  he  did  not  have  time  to  continue.  The 
door  opened  as  if  of  itself,  and  Cristiano,  as  well  muf- 
fled up  as  the  coachman,  thanks  to  the  lawyer's  cloak 
and  fur  cap,  appeared  at  the  threshold. 

"  No  matter,  here  he  is,"  said  the  sweet  voice.  "  Stand 
aside,  Peterson,  and  don't  forget  to  take  off  the  bells  from 
your  horses ;  I  begged  you  so  particularly  to  attend  to  it. 
Don't  be  impatient,  poor  fellow,  I  won't  keep  you  waiting 
long." 

"  Take  your  time,  mademoiselle,"  replied  the  devoted 
servant,  wiping  the  icicles  from  his  beard,  "  it  is  very 
mild  this  evening." 

Cristiano  did  not  understand  a  word  of  this  dialogue, 
but  he  listened  with  none  the  less  delight  to  the  sweet 
voice,  and  he  offered  his  arm  to  a  little  lady  so  well 
wrapped  up  in  ermine,  that  she  looked  like  a  flake  of  snow 
rather  than  a  human  being.  She  spoke  to  him  at  once, 
but  still  in  Dalecarlian,  so  that  he  could  not  guess  what 
she  said,  although  it  was  evident  from  her  intonation, 
sweet  as  it  was,  that  she  was  giving  him  some  orders. 
She  mistook  him  for  the  keeper  of  old  Stollborg  ;  and  as 
the  voice  of  command,  in  all  countries  alike,  requires  no 
other  answer  than  submissive  gestures,  Cristiano  did  very 
well,  without  understanding  and  replying,  during  his  short 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


39 


walk  with  the  little  lady,  whom  he  conducted  along  the 
wooden  gallery  leading  from  the  door  of  the  court  to  that 
of  the  donjon. 

In  taking  her  to  the  bear-room,  Cristiano  obeyed  in- 
stinctively his  natural  hospitality,  without  knowing 
whether  she  would  thank  him  for  his  kindness.  In  the 
same  way  he  had  been  led  instinctively  to  go  and  meet 
her  by  curiosity,  and  perhaps  also  a  sentiment  of  gallantry, 
which  was  still  all-powerful  at  this  epoch,  over  men  of  all 
ages  and  classes. 

The  young  lady,  who  had  followed  her  guide  unsuspic- 
iously, started  with  surprise  when  she  found  herself  in 
the  famous  room. 

"  Is  this  the  bear-room  ?"  she  said,  rather  anxiously; 
"  I  have  never  been  here." 

Cristiano,  who  did  not  understand  a  word,  made  no 
reply  ;  and  looking  at  him  by  the  light  of  the  only  candle 
placed  upon  the  table,  she  cried,  in  Swedish : 

"  Good  heavens  !  This  is  not  Ulphilas  !  To  whom 
have  I  the  honor  of  speaking?  Can  it  be  M.  Goefle  in 
person  ?  " 

The  young  man  understood  and  spoke  Swedish  re- 
markably well.  He  remembered  instantly  the  name  upon 
the  lawyer's  valise,  and  saw  —  thanks  to  the  disguise  of 
his  cloak  —  that  he  would  be  able  to  amuse  himself,  if 
only  for  a  moment,  by  playing  his  part.  Singular  cir- 
cumstances, that  we  shall  learn  about  in  due  time,  had 
given  him  perfect  command  of  the  Swedish  language ; 
but  he  was  a  stranger  in  the  country.  Utterly  isolated, 
and  bound  by  no  ties  to  any  human  being,  he  was  not 
obliged  to  be  circumspect  in  his  behavior,  and  considered  it 
only  natural  to  divert  himself  whenever  he  had  a  chance. 
He  replied  boldly,  therefore,  at  a  venture : 

"  Yes,  madame,  I  am  Monsieur  Goefle,  Doctor  of  Laws 
of  the  Faculty  of  Lund,  practising  law  at  Gevala." 

As  he  spoke,  he  laid  his  hand  upon  a  spectacle-case 
containing  a  pair  of  green-  spectacles,  which  the  lawyer 
was  in  the  habit  of  wearing  when  he  travelled,  to  pro- 
tect his  eyes  from  the  fatiguing  glare  of  the  snow.  De- 
lighted with  this  discovery,  which  the  special  providence 


40  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

that  watches  over  children  and  hair-brained  mad-caps 
seemed  to  have  thrust  under  his  very  nose,  he  put  them 
OD,  and  felt  perfectly  disguised. 

"Ah.  monsieur,"  said  the  unknown,  "  I  ask  a  thou- 
sand pardons,  but  I  did  not  see  you.  I  have  never  had 
the  pleasure  of  meeting  you,  and  I  took  you  for  the 
keeper  of  Stollborg.  You  must  have  laughed  to  hear  me 
ordering  him  to  inform  you  that  I  requested  a  moment's 
interview,  and  promising  him  a  fee  for  so  doing." 

Cristiano  bowed  respectfully. 

"  Will  you  allow  me,  then,"  resumed  the  unknown, 
"  to  converse  with  you  about  an  affair  —  a  little  embar- 
rassing —  a  little  delicate  ?  —  " 

These  two  words  delighted  the  adventurer  to  such  a 
degree,  that  he  forgot  all  about  his  intense  momentary 
vexation  at  having  his  supper  delayed  by  this  unexpected 
visit,  and  only  thought  how  much  he  should  like  to  see 
the  face  of  his  visitor,  which  was  buried  in  her  ermine 
hood. 

"  I  am  ready  to  listen  to  you, "  he  said,  in  a  grave 
tone  ;  "  a  lawyer  is  a  confessor.  But  are  you  not  afraid, 
if  you  keep  on  your  cloak,  that  you  will  catch  cold  when 
you  go  out  ?  " 

"No, "  said  the  unknown,  accepting  the  arm-chair 
which  her  host  offered  her,  "  I  am  a  true  mountaineer  ; 
I  never  catch  cold." 

She  added  artlessly : 

"  Besides,  you  will  think,  perhaps,  that  I  am  not  suit- 
ably attired  for  the  conference  that  I  have  just  solicited 
with  a  dignified  and  respectable  person  like  you,  Monsieur 
Goefle  ;  I  am  in  ball-dress.  " 

"  Good  gracious  !  "  cried  Cristiano,  thoughtlessly  ;  "  I 
am  not  a  ferocious  old  Lutheran  !  A  ball-dress  does  not 
shock  me  at  all ;  above  all,  when  it  is  worn  by  a  pretty 
person." 

"You  are  very  gallant,  Monsieur  Goefle  ;  but  I  don't 
know  that  I  am  pretty  and  well-dressed ;  I  do  know, 
however,  that  I  ought  not  to  hide  my  face  from  you, 
for  any  distrust  upon  my  part  would  be  an  insult  to  your 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


41 


loyalty,  to  which,  in   requesting  your  advice  and  protec- 
tion, I  have  just  made  appeal." 

The  unknown  threw  back  her  hood,  and  Cristiano  saw 
the  most  charming  head  imaginable.  It  was  a  pure 
Swedish  type,  eyes  of  a  true  sapphire  blue,  quantities  of 
light  golden  hair  of  extreme  fineness,  one  of  those  ex- 
quisitely pure  and  fresh  complexions  which  are  never  seen 
in  equal  perfection  among  other  races ;  and,  just  visible 
through  the  half  open  pelisse,  a  slender  neck,  shoulders 
of  snow,  and  a  slight,  flexible  form.  This  sweet  vision 
was  chaste  as  infancy,  for  the  little  visitor  was  only  six- 
teen years  old,  and  had  not  done  growing. 

Cristiano  did  not  pride  himself  upon  his  austerity ;  he 
was  a  man  of  his  time,  but  he  was  superior  to  the  haz- 
ardous career  into  which  he  had  been  thrown  by  circum- 
stances. He  was  a  person  of  intelligence  and  natural 
delicacy.  He  gazed  with  quiet  friendliness  upon  this 
Rose  of  the  North  ;  and,  if  he  had  had  any  treacherous 
idea  in  drawing  her  into  this  bear's  den,  it  was  quickly 
replaced  by  the  anticipation  of  an  adventure  which,  how- 
ever gay  and  romantic,  could  not  fail  to  be  as  honest  as 
the  amiable  and  frank  countenance  of  his  young  guest. 

"  Monsieur  Goefle,"  resumed  the  latter,  encouraged 
by  the  respectful  attitude  of  the  pretended  lawyer,  "  now 
that  you  have  seen  my  face,  which  I  hope  is  not  that  of 
a  wicked  person,  I  must  tell  you  my  name.  You  will 
know  it  perfectly  well.  But  it  distresses  me  to  see  you 
standing,  when  I  am  seated  upon  the  only  arm-chair  in 
the  room.  I  know  the  respect  that  is  due  to  a  man  of 
your  worth  —  I  was  going  to  say  of  your  age,  for  I  have 
always  thought  (I  don't  know  why)  that  you  were  very 
old ;  while,  on  the  contrary,  you  seem  younger  than  the 
baron." 

"  You  flatter  me,"  replied  Cristiano,  pulling  his  furred 
cap,  with  its  ear-pieces,  down  over  his  eyes  and  cheeks  ; 
"•  I  am  old,  very  old  !  It  is  only  the  tip  of  my  nose  that 
can  appear  young,  and  you  must  excuse  me  for  not  un- 
covering in  your  presence.  Your  visit  surprised  me ;  I 
had  taken  off  my  wig,  and  must  hide  my  bald  crown 
as  I  can." 


42  THE  SNO  W  MAN. 

"  Don't  speak  of  it,  Monsieur  Goefle,  and  please  to  sit 
down." 

"  With  your  permission  I  will  remain  standing  near 
the  stove,  on  account  of  my  gout,  which  pains  me," 
replied  Cristiano,  who  was  standing  with  his  head  in  the 
shadow,  while  the  feeble  light  of  the  only  candle  was 
thrown  entirely  upon  his  visitor.  "  To  whom  have  I  the 
honor  —  " 

"  Yes,  yes,"  she  replied  eagerly.  "  Oh  !  you  know 
me  well,  although  you  have  never  seen  me.  I  am 
Margaret." 

"  Indeed ! "  cried  Cristiano,  in  a  tone  that  signified, 
"  I  know  no  more  than  I  did  before." 

Happily,  the  young  girl  was  impatient  to  explain 
herself. 

"  Yes,  yes,"  she  replied,  "  Margaret  Elveda,  the 
niece  of  your  client." 

"Ah,  the  niece  of  my  client  —  " 

"  Countess  Elveda,  sister  of  my  father,   the  colonel, 
who  was  the  friend  of  the  unhappy  baron  !  " 
"The  unhappy  baron — " 

"  Ah,  mon  Dieul  Baron  Adelstan,  whose  name  I  can- 
not pronounce  without  emotion  in  this  room,  who  was 
assassinated  by  the  miners  of  Falun  —  or  by  some  one 
else !  for,  after  all,  monsieur,  who  knows  ?  Are  you 
very  certain  that  it  was  done  by  the  workmen  of  the 
mine  ?  " 

"As  to  that,  mademoiselle,  I  cannot  say;  if  any  one 
has  a  right  to  swear  upon  his  honor  that  he  does  not 
know  anything  about  it,  it  is  your  humble  servant,"  re- 
plied Cristiano,  in  an  impressive  tone,  that  seemed  forc- 
ibly to  strike  the  young  girl,  who  gave  his  words  her  own 
interpretation. 

"Oh,  Monsieur  Goefle,"  she  said  earnestly,  "  I  was 
perfectly  sure  that  you  shared  my  suspicions.  No, 
nothing  will  ever  persuade  me  that  all  these  tragic 
deaths  that  were  talked  about,  and  which  are  still  talked 
about,  in  whispers  —  but  are  we  quite  alone  ?  can  no  one 
overhear  us?  This  is  such  a  serious  matter,  Monsieur 
Goefle ! " 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


43 


"  In  fact  it  seems  serious,"  thought  Cristiano,  assum- 
ing the  tottering  gait  of  an  old  man,  and  going  to  see 
whether  the  outside  door  was  shut ;  "  the  only  trouble 
is  that  I  don't  understand  it  all." 

He  glanced  around  the  room,  but  failed,  as  before,  to 
notice  the  door  of  the  guard-chamber,  which  was  closed 
between  M.  Goefle  and  our  two  friends. 

"  Well,  monsieur,"  resumed  the  young  lady,  "  can 
you  believe  that  my  aunt  wants  to  make  me  marry  a 
man  whom  I  cannot  help  regarding  as  the  assassin  of  his 
family  ?  " 

As  Cristiano  knew  nothing  at  all  about  the  facts  in 
question,  he  tried  to  draw  out  an  explanation  by  chiming 
in  with  the  views  of  his  new  client. 

"  Your  aunt  must  be  a  mad-woman,"  he  said,  a  little 
cavalierly,  "  or  something  worse." 

"  Excuse  me,  Monsieur  Goefle,  she  is  my  aunt,  and  it 
is  my  duty  to  respect  her !  I  only  accuse  her  of  being 
blind  or  prejudiced." 

"  Blindness  and  prejudice  be  it  then  ;  it  is  really  a 
matter  of  no  importance.  What  I  see  most  clearly  is, 
that  she  is  trying  to  force  your  inclination." 

"  Oh  I  there  is  no  doubt  about  that,  for  I  have  a  hor- 
ror of  the  baron  !  Did  she  not  tell  you  so  ?  " 

u  Quite  the  contrary  !     I  supposed  —  " 

"  Oh,  Monsieur  Goefle,  how  could  you  suppose  that  I, 
at  my  age,  would  feel  the  least  liking  for  a  man  fifty-five 
years  old  ?  " 

"  What !  Is  the  person  they  want  you  to  marry  fifty- 
five  years  old  into  the  bargain  ?  " 

"  You  are  only  pretending  to  be  in  doubt,  Monsieur 
Goefle  !  You  cannot  help  knowing  his  age  ;  you  are  his 
lawyer,  and,  it  is  said,  also  his  devoted  friend  —  but  I 
don't  believe  that  at  all." 

"  The  deuce  !  You  are  right.  May  I  be  hung  if  I  care 
a  fig  for  him  !  But  what  is  the  name  of  the  gentleman  ?  " 

"  The  baron  ?   You  do  not  know  whom  I  am  talking  of?  " 

"  How  should  I  ?  There  are  so  many  barons  in  the 
world." 

"  But  my  aunt  has  told  you  —  " 


44 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


"  A  truce  to  what  she  has  told  me  !  How  can  I  re- 
member all  that  your  aunt  says  ?  She  doesn't  know  her 
own  miud,  perhaps." 

"  Oh,  pardon  me  ;  she  knows  it  only  to  well !  She 
has  a  will  of  iron.  She  must  have  told  you  about  her 
plans,  for  she  declares  that  you  approve  them." 

"  I  approve  of  sacrificing  a  charming  child  like  you  to 
a  dotard  ?  " 

"  There  now,  you  see  that  you  know  the  baron's  age 
perfectly  well." 

"  But  once  again,  what  baron  do  you  mean  ?  " 

"  What  baron?  Is  it  possible  that  it  can  be  necessary 
for  me  to  mention  the  Snow  Man?" 

"Indeed!  The  Snow  Man?  Very  well,  I  must  con- 
fess that  I  am  no  wiser  than  I  was  before." 

"  How,  Monsieur  Goefle,  you  do  not  know  the  sur- 
name of  the  most  powerful,  the  richest,  and  at  the  same 
time  the  most  wicked  and  hateful  of  your  clients,  the 
Baron  Olaus  de  Waldemora?" 

"What,  the  proprietor  of  this  chateau?" 

"  Certainly,  and  of  the  new  chateau  on  the  other  shore 
of  the  lake ;  the  owner,  moreover,  of  innumerable  iron 
mines,  lead  mines,  and  alum  mines,  and  of  several  val- 
leys, forests  and  mountains,  Avithout  referring  to  his 
fields,  cattle,  farms  and  lakes ;  the  seigneur,  in  a  word, 
of  a  good  tenth  part  of  Dalecarlia.  It  is  because  of 
his  vast  possessions  that  my  aunt  is  at  me,  from  morn- 
ing until  night,  to  make  me  forget  4hat  he  is  old,  sickly, 
and  perhaps  burdened  with  crimes." 

u  Good  God  !  "  cried  Cristiano,  in  amazement,  "  I 
have  accepted  the  hospitality  of  an  agreeable  person  !  " 

"  You  are  laughing  at  me,  Monsieur  Goefle !  You 
don't  believe  in  his  guilt,  and  you  were  jesting  when  you 
said  just  now  —  " 

"AH  that  I  said  I  am  ready  to  repeat.  But  I  should 
like  to  know  of  what  crimes  you  accuse  my  host  ?  " 

"I  don't  accuse  him ;  public  rumor  has  accustomed 
me  to  regard  him  as  the  assassin  of  his  father,  his 
brother,  and  his  sister-in  law,  the  unhappy  Hilda  —  " 

"Nothing  more  than  that?" 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


45 


"  You  know  what  is  said,  Monsieur  Goefle  ;  you  were 
commissioned,  were  you  not?  —  Oh,  no,  it  must  have 
been  your  father,  who  was  Baron  Olaus's  lawyer  at  that 
time.  The  baron  brought  forward  deeds  of  some  sort. 
Nothing  could  ever  be  proved  against  him ;  but  the 
truth  was  never  known,  and  never  will  be  known,  — 
at  least  until  the  dead  come  from  the  tomb  to  tell  it." 

"  That  sometimes  happens,"  replied  Cristiano,  smiling. 

"  Really,  do  you  believe?  —  " 

"  Oh,  that  is  one  of  our  professional  phrases,  when  an 
unexpected  proof  is  discovered,  you  know  —  a  lost  letter, 
a  chance  word,  long  forgotten." 

"  Yes,  I  know,  but  nothing  was  ever  found,  and  for 
fifteen  or  twenty  years  the  whole  thing  has  been  buried 
in  silence  and  forgetfulness.  Baron  Olaus  was  suspected 
and  hated  at  first,  but  he  has  succeeded  in  making 
himself  feared,  and  that  tells  the  whole  story.  At  pres- 
ent, he  carries  his  presumption  and  confidence  so  far 
that  he  wishes  to  marry  again.  Ah  !  may  God  preserve 
me  from  being  the  object  of  his  pursuit !  It  is  said  that 
he  loved  his  wife  devotedly ;  but  as  for  the  Baroness 
Hilda,  it  is  generally  believed  —  " 

"What  is  believed?" 

"  I  see  that  these  peasant's  stories  have  never  reached 
you,  Monsieur  Goefle,  or  else  you  laugh  at  them,  since 
you  have  quietly  taken  up  your  quarters  in  this  room." 

"  In  fact  there  is  some  story  connected  with  it,"  re- 
plied Cristiano,  as  a  remark  that  he  had  recently  heard 
flushed  into  his  mind.  "  The  people  at  the  farm  said 
to  me  this  evening,  — '  Go  there,  and  let  us  know  in 
the  morning  how  you  passed  the  night.'  The  room  is 
haunted,  then,  by  a  goblin  —  a  ghost  —  " 

"There  must  be  something  strange  here,  whether  a 
phantom  or  a  real  being,  for  old  M.  Stenson  himself  be- 
lieves so,  and  the  baron  also,  perhaps.  It  is  said  that  he 
has  never  entered  the  rcom  since  his  sister-in-law's  death, 
and  he  has  had  a  certain  door  walled  up  —  " 

"  Yonder,"  said  Cristiano,  pointing  to  the  top  of  the 
staircase. 

"It  is  possible,"    replied  Margaret,  "  I   don't  know. 


46  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

It  is  all  very  mysterious,  and  I  thought  you  would  be 
well  informed  about  matters  that  I  am  ignorant  of.  I 
don't  believe  in  ghosts.  Still,  I  shouldn't  like  to  see  one, 
and  nothing  in  the  world  would  induce  me  to  sleep 
here,  as  you  are  going  to  do.  As  for  the  baron,  whether 
the  story  of  the  diamond  ring  is  true  or  false  —  " 

"  What !  another  story  —  " 

"  Yes,  and  the  most  improbable  one  of  all,  I  confess  ; 
I  cannot  help  laughing  as  I  repeat  it.  They  say,  in  the 
cottages  of  the  neighborhood,  that  the  baron  loved  his 
wife  — who  was  as  wicked  himself — so  well,  that  he  gave 
her  body,  when  she  died,  to  an  alchemist,  who  reduced  it 
in  an  alembic,  and  turned  it  into  a  great  black  dia- 
mond. It  is  certain,  at  any  rate,  that  he  wears  a  strange 
ring  upon  his  finger,  which  'I  cannot  look  at  without 
terror  and  disgust." 

"That  is  a  good  proof!"  said  Cristiano,  laughing; 
"  but  only  think  if  a  similar  fate  should  be  reserved  for 
you.  They  would  find  nothing,  I  know,  in  the  alembic 
where  you  were  baked,  but  a  pretty  rose  diamond  of  the 
purest  water,  but  that  would  not  be  any  more  cheerful 
for  you,  and  I  advise  you  not  to  run  the  risk  of  being 
crystallized." 

Margaret  burst  out  laughing,  but  it  frightened  her  to 
hear  her  fresh,  childlike  voice  echoed  mysteriously 
through  the  old  room.  She  became  sad,  and  said  in  a 
tone  of  discouragement : 

"  Well,  enough  of  that !  I  see,  Monsieur  Goefle,  that 
you  are  an  amiable  and  witty  man,  as  every  one  says ; 
but  I  was  very  much  mistaken  in  supposing  that  you 
would  sympathize  with  me,  and  would  be  my  guide  and 
protector.  You  agree  with  my  aunt,  you  consider  all  I 
have  told  you  a  mere  dream,  and  you  reject  the  cry  of 
my  heart.  May  God  have  pity  upon  me !  I  have  no 
longer  any  hope  but  in  Him." 

"  Wait  a  little  !  "  replied  Cristiano,  moved  to  see  great 
tears  rolling  over  rosy  cheeks  which  had  just  been  so 
smiling.  "  Why  don't  you  depend  more  upon  yourself? 
What  have  you  told  me,  after  all?  You  announce  that 
you  have  a  confession  to  make  of  a  delicate  nature, 


THE  SNOW  MAN.  47 

and  all  it  amounts  to  is  that  your  friends  wish  you  to 
marry  a  man  who  does  not  please  you,  and  towards 
whom  you  feel  an  antipathy.  I  thought  you  were  going 
to  confide  some  love  affair  to  me.  You  need  not  blush 
at  that.  A  love  may  be  pure  and  honorable,  even 
although  ambitious  parents  disapprove  of  it.  A  father 
and  mother  may  be  mistaken,  and  yet  it  is  painful  to 
resist  their  influence.  You  are  an  orphan !  •  Yes,  you 
must  be,  since  you  are  dependent  upon  an  old  aunt  —  I 
call  her  old,  and  you  shake  your  head !  Assume  that 
she  is  young  —  she  claims  to  be  so,  no  doubt,  and  I,  it 
seems,  am  no  longer  a  judge,  for  I  considered  her  old. 
If  she  is  young,  she  ought  all  the  more  to  be  sent  —  I 
will  not  say  to  mind  her  own  business,  but  to  reflect  to 
some  purpose,  while  you  ask  the  advice  of  some  old 
friend,  M.  Goefle,  for  instance  —  that  is  to  say,  myself 
—  some  one,  in  a  word,  who  can  put  you  in  a  way  to  . 
marry  the  happy  mortal  whom  you  prefer." 

"  But  I  assure  you,  dear  M.  Goefle,  that  I  do  not  love 
any  one,"  replied  Margaret.  "  Oh  God  !  it  would  only 
need  that  to  complete  my  misfortunes !  It  is  quite 
enough  to  be  obliged  to  endure  the  importunities  of  a 
person  you  hate." 

"  You  are  not  sincere,  my  dear  child,"  replied  Cris- 
tiano,  who  was  playing  his  part  so  well  and  naturally  that 
he  really  was  beginning  to  feel  as  if  he  were  M.  Goefle 
in  person  ;  "you  are  afraid  that  I  will  repeat  what  you 
confide  to  me  to  the  countess,  my  client." 

"Oh,  no,  no,  dear  Monsieur  Goefle,  it  is  not  so,  in- 
deed !  I  know  that  you  are  both  honorable  and  kind- 
hearted.  Every  one  considers  you  so,  and  even  the 
baron,  who  thinks  ill  of  every  one  else,  dares  not  say  a 
word  against  you.  Such  is  my  respect  for  you,  my 
confidence  in  you,  that  I  have  been  watching  for  your 
arrival  at  Waldemora  ;  and  I  must  tell  you  how  the  idea 
of  seeking  you  in  this  way  occurred  to  me  :  this  will  give 
you  my  whole  history  in  a  few  words,  and  I  don't  believe 
my  aunt  has  related  it  very  accurately. 

"I  was  brought  up  in  Chateau  Dalby,  in  Woermland, 
twenty  leagues  distant,  under  the  eyes  of  my  guardian, 


^5  THE  SNO  W  MAN. 

Countess  Elfride  d'Elveda,  my  father's  sister.  When 
I  say  under  her  eyes,  you  know  what  I  mean !  My 
aunt  loves  society  and  politics.  She  accompanies  the 
court  to  Stockholm,  and  is  much  more  interested  in  the 
affairs  of  the  Diet  than  in  taking  care  of  me.  So,  all 
my  life,  I  have  lived  in  a  rather  gloomy  chateau  with 
my  French  governess,  Mademoiselle  Potin,  who,  fortu- 
nately, is  very  kind,  and  who  loves  me  dearly.  My  aunt 
makes  us  a  visit  twice  a  year,  to  see  whether  I  have 
grown,  whether  I  am  speaking  French  and  Russian  well, 
whether  I  am  in  want  of  anything,  and  whether  the 
pastor  of  our  church,  who  is  very  strict,  takes  good  care 
that  we  do  not  receive  any  visits  besides  his  own,  and 
those  of  his  family." 

"  Well,  really,  that  is  not  very  amusing  ! " 
"  No  ;  but  I  have  no  cause  to  consider  myself  unhappy. 
I  study  a  good  deal  with  my  governess,  I  am  quite  rich, 
and  my  aunt  is  quite  generous,  so  that  I  have  every- 
thing I  want ;  and  when  the  time  seems  a  little  long  to 
us,  we  read  novels  ;  — oh,  such  good  and  beautiful  novels, 
that  make  us  forget  our  solitude,  and  whose  moral  always 
is  that  crime  is  punished  and  virtue  rewarded ! " 

"  You  may  be  sure  of  that !  At  all  events,  there  is  no 
harm  in  believing  it,  and  behaving  accordingly.  But 
there  must  have  been  some  hero  of  all  this  solitude,  and 
of  all  these  romances ; .  did  no  handsome  young  fellow, 
in  spite  of  pastor  or  aunt,  contrive  to  glide  into  the 
house,  or  at  least  m-o  your  heart?" 

"Oh!  no,  never,  I  assure  you,  Monsieur  Goefle!" 
replied  Margaret,  frankly.  "But  wheu  my  aunt  told  me 
suddenly  eight  days  ago  that  she  had  selected  a  husband 
for  me,  I  will  confess  that  I  formed  a  certain  ideal  of 
what  he  would  be  like  ;  and  when  she  pointed  out  Baron 
Olaus  de  Waldemora,  and  said,  —  'There  he  is,  be 
amiable,'  he  was  so  different  from  what  I  expected,  that 
I  was  not  amiable  at  all." 

"I  can  understand  that.     And  then,  your  aunt?" 
"Oh,  she  laughed  at  me  !     'You  are  a  simpleton,'  she 
said.     '  Girls  of  rank  have  no  business  to  think'anything 
about  love.     They  are  not  expected  to  marry  for  love, 


THE  SNOW  MAN.  Q 

but  to  secure  a  brilliant  position.  I  intend  you  to  be 
Baroness  de  Waldemora ;  otherwise,  I  declare  that  you 
shall  remain  a  prisoner  all  your  life  in  this  chateau, 
Avithout  seeing  a  living  soul.  I  will  do  more :  I  will 
dismiss  Mademoiselle  Potin,  who  looks  as  if  she  gave 
you  bad  advice.  Choose; — I  give  you  a  month  to  de- 
cide. The  baron  has  invited  us  to  spend  the  Christmas 
festivities*  at  his  splendid  residence  in  Dalecarlia.  It 
will  be  very  gay  there  ;  hunts,  balls,  entertainments  of 
all  sorts  will  be  going  on  from  morning  until  night.  You 
will  be  able  to  form  an  idea  of  his  wealth,  his  influence,  his 
power,  and  you  will  acknowledge  that  you  can  never  hope 
to  make  a. more  brilliant  or  a  more  honorable  marriage.'" 

"And  so  you  said  yes?" 

"I  said  yes,  that  I  would  come  to  Dalecarlia,  since 
she  gave  me  a  month  for  reflection.  I  was  glad  enough 
to  see  a  new  country,  to  go  to  entertainments ;  in  a 
word,  to  see  a  few  human  beings.  But  we  have  been 
here  now  for  eight  days,  and  I  give  you  my  word,  Mon- 
sieur Goefle,  that  I  consider  the  baron  still  more  dis- 
agreeable than  the  first  day  I  saw  him." 

"But  you  will  meet  at  his  house  —  if  you  have  not 
done  so  already — some  one  less  disagreeable,  to  whom 
you  will  open  your  heart,  as  you  are  now  doing,  and  who 
will  inspire  you  with  a  hope  of  happiness,  a  courage  to 
resist  tyranny,  that  will  help  you  a  great  deal  more  than 
the  advice  of  an  old  lawyer." 

"  No,  Monsieur  Goefle,  I  shall  open  my  heart  to  no 
one  but  you,  and  I  certainly  shall  not  confide  in  the  per- 
sons I  may  happen  to  meet  at  the  Chateau  de  Walde- 
mora. I  can  see  plainly  that  the  baron's  guests  are 
people  whom  he  has  helped,  or  who  need  his  help  ;  ser- 
vile or  ambitious,  they  fear  or  flatter  him,  and  all  of 
them  (except  a  few  excellent  young  people  whom  I  am 
very  friendly  with)  bow  down  before  me  as  if  I  were  al- 
ready the  wife  of  their  patron  !  I  hate  and  despise  these 
provincial  courtiers,  but  I  have  faith  in  you,  M.  Goefle  ! 

*  The  Christmas  festivities  in  Sweden  and  Norway  last  from 
the  twenty-fourth  of  December  to  the  sixth  of  January. 

4 


5<5  THE  SNO  W  MAN. 

You  are  the  baron's  business-man,  but  you  are  not  his 
vassal.  Your  pride  and  independence  are  well  known. 
You  see  that  my  aunt  did  not  succeed  in  deceiving  me. 
She  told  me  that  you  would  agree  with  her  in  everything, 
that  you  would  treat  my  romantic  dreams  with  scorn  and 
contempt,  and  would  even  persecute  me  on  account  of 
them  ;  but  we  heard  a  very  different  story  from  the  brother 
of  Mademoiselle  Potin,  who  is  tutor  in  a  family  in  your 
province,  and  who  knows  you  intimately.  You  know 
who  I  mean  —  M.  Jacques  Potin,  whom  you  have  done 
so  much  for." 

"  Yes,  yes,  a  charming  fellow  ! " 
"  Charming  !  no  !     He  is  humpbacked  ! " 
"Charming  in  character !     His  hump  has  nothing  to 
do  Avith  that." 

"That  is  true  ;  he  is  a  distinguished  man,  and  he  has 
told  us  so  much  good  of  you,  that  I  resolved  to  see  you 
without  letting  my  aunt  know  it.  Mademoiselle  Potin 
— who  is  a  capital  hand  at  finding  out  what  is  going  on — 
learned  the  day  and  hour  when  you  were  expected  at  the 
new  chateau  ;  and,  as  she  was  watching  for  your  arrival, 
she  heard  at  once  that  you  had  gone  to  stop  at  Stollborg, 
because  the  new  chateau  was  too  full.  With  a  look  she 
told  me  all,  just  as  I  was  completing  my  toilet,  with  my 
aunt's  assistance.  My  aunt  had  still  her  own  toilet  to 
make,  and  as  this  always  takes  her  two  hours,  at  least, 
she  went  to  her  own  room.  Mademoiselle  Potin  remained 
in  mine,  to  make  some  excuse  in  case  the  countess  should 
send  for  me.  while  I  slipped  down  a  private  staircase  to 
the  shore  of  the  lake,  where  Potin  had  told  my  faithful 
Peterson  to  wait  for  me  with  the  sleigh,  and  here  I  am ! 
But  there  are  the  fanfares  at  the  new  chateau,  announcing 
the  opening  of  the  ball.  I  must  run  away  as  quickly  as 
possible.  And  then  that  poor  coachman  must  be  frozen 
with  waiting  so  long.  Adieu,  Monsieur  Goefle  !  will  you 
allow  me  to  return  to-morrow,  while  my  aunt  is  taking  a 
nap?  She  always  dances  a  great  deal,  and  gets  very 
tired  at  a  ball,  and  I  can  come  perfectly  well,  while  I  am 
\valkiiig  with  my  governess." 
"Besides,  if  your  aunt  is  angry,"  said  Cristiano,  in 


THE  SNOW  MAN.  51 

rather  too  young  a  tone,  "you  can  tell  her  that  I  am  lec- 
turing you,  just  as  she  would  like  to  have  me." 

"No,"  said  Margaret,  with  an  instinctive  feeling  of 
distrust,  "I  do  not  want  to  turn  her  into  ridicule  ;  and  it 
will,  perhaps,  be  as  well  for  me  not  to  return.  If  you 
will  promise  me  to  make  her  abandon  this  horrible  mar- 
riage, I  shall  not  need  to  trouble  you  with  my  anxiety." 

*'  I  promise  to  interest  myself  in  you,"  replied  Cristiano, 
more  guardedly,  "as  if  you  were  my  own  daughter ;  but 
you  must  keep  me  informed  as  to  the  success  of  my  efforts." 

"Then  I  will  return.  How  good  you  are,  Monsieur 
Goefle,  and  how  grateful  I  ought  to  be  to  you.  Oh,  I 
was  quite  right  in  saying  that  you  would  be  my  good 
angel !  " 

Margaret  spoke  warmly  ;  and  rising,  held  out  her  little 
hands  to  the  pretended  old  man,  who  kissed  them  most 
respectfully,  while  gazing  for  a  moment  upon  the  ravish- 
ing little  countess  in  her  pale  rose-colored  satin,  trimmed 
with  down.  He  helped  her,  in  the  most  fatherly  way,  to 
clasp  her  ermine  pelisse,  and  put  on  her  hood  without 
crushing  the  ribbons  and  flowers  of  her  coiffure,  and  then 
escorted  her  back  to  the  sleigh,  amid  whose  eider-down 
cushions  she  disappeared  like  a  swan  in  its  nest. 

The  sleigh  flew  off,  leaving  a  luminous  track  along  the 
ice,  and  was  lost  to  sight  behind  the  rocks  along  the  shore 
before  Cristiano,  who  remained  standing  on  the  steep 
cliffs  of  Stollborg,  had  thought  either  of  the  piercing  cold 
or  of  his  devouring  hunger. 

The  fact  is  that  the  young  adventurer,  besides  being  a 
good  deal  agitated  (of  this  he  took  no  note),  was  spell- 
bound by  a  wonderful  spectacle.  The  bourrasque,  com- 
pletely lulled,  had  been  succeeded  by  a  strong  west  wind 
(this  wind  brings  clear  weather  in  the  north,  although  it 
has  an  opposite  effect  in  other  climates) ,  which  had  swept 
the  clouds  from  the  sky  in  a  few  seconds.  The  stars  were 
shining  with  far  more  brilliancy  than  in  southern  coun- 
tries. Cristiano  felt  as  if  he  had  never  seen  them  before. 
They  looked  literally  like  suns  ;  and  the  crescent  moon 
also,  in  proportion  as  it  arose  in  the  purified  atmosphere, 
poured  forth  a  powerful  radiance,  which,  in  any  other  re- 


52  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

gion,  would  have  been  super-planetary.  The  night,  al- 
ready so  clear,  was  made  still  brighter  by  the  light  re- 
flected from  the  snow  and  ice,  and  the  grand  features 
of  the  landscape  were  as  sharply  defined  in  the  trans- 
parent atmosphere  as  in  a  silver  dawn. 

These  features  were  sublime.  Granite  mountains,  with 
their  angular  peaks  covered  with  eternal  snows,  shut  in  a 
narrow  horizon,  open  only  along  the  valley  towards  the 
south-west.  The  level  surfaces  and  details  were  a  little 
obscured,  but  the  general  outline  of  the  picture  was 
brought  out  with  perfect  distinctness  by  the  immense  side 
vault  of  the  blue  sky  left  uncovered  by  the  break  in  the 
granite  chain.  Cristiario,  who  may  be  said  to  have  groped 
his  way  to  Stollborg  through  whirlwinds  of  snow,  knew 
the  points  of  the  compass  well  enough  to  understand  that 
he  had  come  by  this  gently  undulating  valley,  and  he 
formed  a  very  correct  idea  of  the  direction  of  the  gorges 
of  Falun.  This  was  the  station  where  he  had  break- 
fasted in  the  morning,  while  M.  Goefle,  whose  horse  Avas 
strong  and  swift,  had  stopped  there  at  a  later  hour  and 
for  a  longer  time. 

The  valley,  or  rather  the  chain  of  narrow  valleys  lead- 
ing fron  Falun  to  the  Chateau  da  Waldemora,  came  to  an 
end  abruptly  in  this  place,  in  an  apparent  cul-de-sac, 
an  irregular  amphitheatre  of  lofty  summits  formed  by 
one  of  the  spurs  of  the  Sevenberg  chain  (otherwise  the 
mountains  of  Seves,  or  Sevons),  which  separates  central 
Sweden  from  the  southern  part  of  Norway.  Two  fierce 
torrents  descend  from  the  heights  of  Sevenberg,  from  the 
north-west  to  the  south-east,  follow  the  chain  to  the  right 
and  to  the  left,  and  rush,  in  proportion  as  it  lowers,  the 
one  towards  the  Baltic  and  the  other  towards  Lake  "VVener 
and  the  Kattegat.  These  two  torrents,  which  gradually 
become  rivers,  are  the  Dala  and  the  Klara ;  or,  as  we 
say,  the  Dal  and  the  Klar. 

Stollborg  stood  upon  a  small  rocky  island,  in  the 
centre  of  one  of  the  little  lakes  formed  by  the  Klar,  or 
by  one  of  its  rapid  branches.  The  reader  will  not  care 
for  minute  geographical  details,  but  we  can  describe  the 
principal  characteristics  of  the  landscape  with  sufficient 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


53 


accuracy.  It  was  a  scene  of  wild  and  savage  desolation  ; 
the  mountains  shone  in  the  limpid  night  like  a  group  of 
crystal  fortresses  built  at  unequal  heights,  in  the  boldest 
and  most  capricious  manner  ;  snowy  granite  peaks  shut  in 
three-quarters  of  the  horizon  ;  a  lower  range  of  snowy 
mica-schist  peaks  assumed  forms  less  grand  and  more 
fantastic  ;  while  everywhere  a  thousand  frozen  waterfalls 
hung  motionless  in  diamond  needles  along  the  "rocks. 
The.se  silent  cascades  all  converged  towards  the  main 
stream,  which  was  also  imprisoned  by  the  ice,  and  welded, 
as  it  were,  to  the  lake,  whose  shores  could  only  be  traced 
by  the  debris  and  sharp  peaks  of  naked  stone  whose  black 
flanks  the  winter  had  not  been  able  to  cover  with  its  white 
uniform  hue. 

"I  have  often  been  told,"  thought  Cristiano,  "that 
these  severe  northern  nights  reveal  unheard-of  splendors, 
both  to  the  eye  and  imagination.  If  I  should  return  to 
Naples  and  should  tell  them  that  their  nights  appeal  only 
to  the  senses,  and  that  he  who  has  not  seen  winter  upon 
his  throne  of  frost  cannot  form  the  least  idea  of  the  won- 
ders of  the  divine  work,  I  should  probably  be  insulted 
or  stoned.  What  then?  There  is  beauty  everywhere 
under  heaven,  and  he  who  feels  that  beauty  keenly,  will 
always  perhaps  find  the  last  impression  the  most  satisfac- 
tory and  inspiring.  Yes,  this  must  really  be  sublime, 
for  here  I  am  forgetting  the  cold,  which  I  thought  I 
should  never  be  able  to  endure,  and  finding  a  sort  of 
pleasure  even  in  breathing  this  air  that  goes  through  you 
like  a  knife.  I  must  certainly  go  to  Lapland,  although 
Puflb  forsakes  me,  and  poor  Jean  perishes  in  the  snow. 
I  want  to  see  a  night  twenty-four  hours  long,  and  the 
pale  glimmer  of  noon  in  the  mouth  of  January.  I  should 
have  no  success  in  that  country,  but  my  moderate  earn- 
ings here  will  enable  me  travel  like  a  great  lord,  that  is 
to  say,  alone  and  on  foot,  with  nothing  to  do  but  to  see 
and  enjoy  the  fine  flower  of.  life,  novelty,  the  quality 
that  distinguishes  desire  from  lassitude,  dream  from 
memory." 

Eager  and  imaginative,  the  young  man  gazed  far 
away  into  the  circle  of  high  mountains,  in  search  of  the 


54  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

invisible  route  that  he  would  have  to  take  in  going  to  the 
north,  or  entering  Norway.  In  fancy  he  already  saw 
himself  reclining  upon  the  edge  of  fearful  abysses,  while, 
to  the  amazement  of  the  old  Scandinavian  echoes,  he 
sang  some  foolish  tarantelle,  when  the  music  of  a  distant 
orchestra  struck  upon  his  ear,  and  he  recognized  the  dis- 
tant refrain  of  an  old-fashioned  French  song,  probably 
very  new  among  the  Dalecarlians.  The  music  was  at 
the  new  chateau,  where  Baron  Olaus  was  giving  a  ball 
to  his  country  neighbors  in  honor  of  the  charming  Mar- 
garet Elveda. 

Cristiauo  recalled  his  wandering  thoughts.  A  moment 
before  he  had  been  ready  to  fly  to  the  North  Cape ; 
now  his  curiosity,  thoughts,  aspirations,  were  all  di- 
rected to  the  brilliant  chateau,  glittering  on  the  shore  of 
the  lake,  and  seeming  to  exhale  whiffs  of  artificial  heat 
into  the  atmosphere. 

"  One  thing  is  certain,"  he  said,  "  I  would  not  for  five 
hundred  crowns  (and  God  only  knows  how  much  I  need 
five  hundred  crowns)  quit  this  strange  country  to-night, 
even  to  be  transported  by  the  walkyries  to  the  sapphire 
palace  of  the  great  Odin.  To-morrow  I  shall  see  this 
blond  fairy  again,  this  descendant  of  Harold  the  Fair- 
haired  !  To-morrow?  —  no,  indeed,  nothing  of  the  kind  ! 
I  shall  not  see  her  again  to-morrow  ;  I  shall  never  see 
her  again  !  To-morrow,  the  fortunate  mortal  who  has 
a  legitimate  right  to  the  sweet  name  of  Goefle  will  go  to 
the  new  chateau  to  confer  with  his  client,  and  labor  with 
her  perhaps,  like  a  genuine  heartless  business  man,  to 
bring  about  the  marriage  of  the  ferocious  Olaus  and 
sweet  Margaret.  To-morrow  sweet  Margaret  will  know 
she  has  been  deceived,  and  by  whom  ?  With  what  anger, 
what  scorn  will  she  reward  my  good  behavior  and  wise 
advice !  But  all  that  does  not  prevent  me  from  feeling 
hungry,  and  from  being  obliged  to  acknowledge  that  this 
December  night,  between  sixty-one  and  sixty-two  degrees 
of  latitude,  is  rather  cool.  It  makes  me  think  of  the  time 
when  I  used  to  complain  about  the  winter  in  Rome ! " 

Cristiano  was  returning  to  the  bear-room,  when  he 
thought  he  would  give  a  charitable  look  at  his  ass.  As 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


55 


he  entered  the  stable,  he  noticed,  for  the  first  time,  M. 
Goefle's  sleigh,  which  was  standing  in  the  coach-house. 
Why,  at  the  sight  of  this  sleigh,  the  mind  of  the  adven- 
turer should  have  leaped  suddenly  to  a  raad  resolution, 
we  cannot  explain  ;  but,  on  regaining  his  comfortable 
lodging,  instead  of  sitting  down  quietly  to  supper  with 
his  back  to  the  stove,  it  is  certain  that  'he  began  to  con- 
template the  full  black  suit  which  the  doctor  of  laws  had 
hung  over  the  back  of  a  chair. 

Cristiano  would  have  sworn  that  the  grave  individual 
whom  he  had  ventured  to  imitate  was  old-fashioned,  and 
perhaps  rather  shabby  in  his  dress.  Not  at  all.  M. 
Goefle,  who  had  been  quite  handsome  in  his  youth, 
dressed  remarkably  well,  was  careful  of 'his  person,  and 
made  it  a  point  of  honor  to  appear  in  a  simple  but  taste- 
ful costume,  doing  full  justice  to  his  good  leg,  and  still 
erect  and  well-formed  figure.  Cristiano  put  on  the  coat, 
which  fitted  him  like  a  glove.  He  found  the  powder-box 
and  puff,  and  threw  a  light  cloud  over  his  thick,  black 
hair.  The  silk  stockings  were  rather  tight  in  the  calf, 
and  the  shoes  with  buckles  rather  large ;  but  what  of 
that !  were  the  Dalecarlians  so  very  critical  ?  In  short, 
in  ten  minutes  the  young  man  was  attired  like  a  respect- 
able member  of  society  ;  a  professor  of  some  science,  a 
student  in  some  learned  faculty,  or  member  of  a  dignified 
profession  !  No  matter  what  his  standing,  his  figure,  at 
all  events,  was  charming,  and  his  costume  irreproach=- 
able. 

The  reader  can  guess  that  the  adventurer  led  M. 
Goefle's  horse  from  the  stable,  after  begging  Jean  not  to 
feel  lonely ;  that  he  harnessed  the  docile  Loki  to  the 
sleigh,  lighted  ttie  lantern,  and  darted  like  an  arrow  down 
the  steep  road  of  Stollborg. 

In  about  ten  minutes,  he  entered  the  brilliantly  lighted 
court  of  the  new  chateau,  threw  the  reins  carelessly  to 
the  servants  in  livery,  who  hastened  forward  at  the  sound 
of  the  sleigh-bells,  and  ran  up  the  great  front  steps  of  the 
elegant  mansion  four  steps  at  a  time. 


56  THE   SNOW  MAN., 


III. 

/^RISTIANO  was  acting  as  we  do  in  certain  dreams, 
^-'  when  we  feel  drawn  on  to  accomplish  some  im- 
probable thing  without  being  able  to  tell  how.  Were  not 
all  his  surroundings  utterly  improbable?  This  fantastic 
chateau,  called  the  new  chateau,  in  opposition  to  the  ruin 
of  Stollborg,  but  dating  back,  in  reality,  to  the  time  of 
Queen  Catherine,  and  which,  with  its  splendor  and 
gayety,  seemed  to  have  fallen  from  the  clouds  into  the 
bosom  of  a  savage  desert ;  these  avenues  of  naked  rock 
and  furious  waters,  over  which,  thanks  to  the  winter,  ele- 
gant equipages  made  their  way  without  difficulty,  although 
it  seemed  as  if  they  must  be  utterly  impassable  ;  the  rows 
of  lights  outlining  against  the  darkness  the  principal  walls 
with  their  thick  towers,  crowned  Avith  coppered  roofs  sur- 
mounted by  huge  spires  ;  the  main  building  long,  irregu- 
larly flanked  with  square  pavilions,  and  finished  off  with 
gigantic  gables  notched  with  statues  and  emblems ;  the 
great  clock  in  the  central  pavilion,  which  was  striking  ten 
o'clock  at  night,  —  an  hour  when  the  very  bears  are  afraid 
to  stir  the  snow  where  they  lie  cowering,  but  when 
man,  the  most  delicate  animal  of  creation,  dances  in  silk 
stockings  with  bare-shouldered  women ;  everything  in 
the  savage  grandeur  of  the  situation  and  the  courtly  scene 
filling  it  with  animation,  even  to  the  playful  and  quaint 
harmony  of  the  old-fashioned  French  music  blending  un- 
ceremoniously with  the  sharp  whistling  of  the  wind  in  the 
long  corridors ;  —  all  this  seemed  made  to  astonish  a 
traveller,  and  confuse  the  ideas  of  an  Italian. 

As  he  gazed  upon  the  immense  saloons,  and  long  gal- 
lery painted  with  mythological  divinities,  and  full  of  com- 
pany and  noise,  Cristiano  asked  himself  whether  these 
people  were  not  phantoms  conjured  up  in  mockery  by  the 
sorcerers  of  this  solitary  place.  Whence  had  they  come, 
with  their  antiquated  dresses,  these  men  in  spangled  coats, 
these  women  with  powdered  hair,  smiling  through  clouds 
of  feathers  and  laces  ?  Would  not  this  magical  chateau 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


57 


disappear  at  the  stroke  of  a  wand?  these  gay  dancers 
of  the  minuet  and  chaconne,  would  they  not  fly  away  in 
the  shape  of  white  eagles  or  wild  swans  ? 

Cristiano  had  already  noticed,  however,  the  national 
peculiarities  of  the  Swedes  ;  the  adventurous  isolation  of 
their  dwellings,  the  enormous  distances  separating  them 
from  the  little  settlements  honored  by  the  name  of  vil- 
lage ;  the  straggling  appearance  of  the  villages  them- 
selves, which  sometimes  extend  over  two  or  three  leagues 
with  only  one  common  centre — the  parish  church,  with 
its  green  dome ;  the  contempt  of  the  nobility  for  cities, 
which  they  abandon  entirely  to  the  trading  portion  of  the 
community ;  in  a  word,  their  passion  for  a  lonely  country 
life,  united,  singularly  enough,  to  a  passion  for  wild,  ex- 
travagant expeditions,  undertaken  for  the  sake  of  enjoy- 
ing sudden  and  apparently  impossible  social  gatherings. 
Cristiano  had  been  invited  to  a  country  merry-making,  but 
he  had  not  foreseen  that  these  characteristic  instincts  of 
the  Swedes  would  be  made  more  active  by  the  severity 
of  the  climate,  the  length  of  the  nights,  and  the  apparent 
difficulty  of  holding  communication  with  each  other. 
This,  however,  was  a  natural  consequence  of  the  neces- 
sity that  man  always  feels  to  conquer  nature,  and  turn 
the  compensations  that  she  offers  him  to  account.  For 
two  months  the  baron  had  given  notice  for  fifty  leagues, 
around,  that  he  would  entertain  the  nobility  of  the  country 
during  the  Christmas  festivities.  The  baron  was  neither 
esteemed  nor  loved  by  any  one  ;  and  yet,  for  a  number  of 
days,  his  chateau  had  been  full  of  eager  guests,  who,  com- 
ing from  all  the  four  points  of  the  compass,  had  crossed 
lakes,  rivers,  and  mountains,  to  attend  his  summons. 

Hospitality  is  proverbial  in  Dalecarlia,  and,  like  the 
love  of  the  people  for  a  country  life  united  to  their  love 
of  pleasure,  it  increases  in  proportion  as  they  live  in  re- 
mote and  inaccessible  regions.  Cristiano,  who  had  no- 
ticed with  what  wonderful  kindnes?  strangers  are  received 
in  Sweden  —  above  all,  when  they  speak  the  language  — 
had  scarcely  thought  how  difficult  it  might  prove  to  gain 
admission  to  a  soiree  where  he  knew  no  one,  especially 
since  he  had  not  been  invited.  He  was  unpleasantly  re- 


58  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

minded  of  his  oversight  by  seeing  a  sort  of  major-domo, 
wearing  a  sword,  who  came  up  to  him  in  the  hall,  and 
held  out  his  hand  with  the  utmost  politeness,  after  bowing 
respectfully. 

At  first  Cristiano  was  going  to  shake  hands  with  him 
kindly,  under  the  supposition  that  it  was  a  custom  of  the 
country  to  welcome  people  in  this  way,  but  he  reflected 
that  he  might  be  asking  him  to  produce  his  invitation. 
The  major-domo  was  old,  ugly,  and  pock-marked ;  his 
eyes  were  downcast,  and  their  hypocritical  expression 
was  poorly  disguised  by  an  affectation  of  gentle  apathy. 
Cristiano  put  his  hand  into  his  vest  pocket,  although  cer- 
tain of  not  finding  what  he  wanted.  It  is  true  that  he 
had  been  invited  to  visit  Waldemora  at  the  expense  of  his 
host,  but  not  upon  the  same  footing  with  the  gentlemen 
of  the  country.  He  was  preparing,  therefore,  to  play  the 
part  of  a  man  who  has  forgotten  his  card  of  admission, 
and  who  is  disposed  to  return  in  search  of  it,  with  the 
privilege  of  not  making  his  appearance  again,  when  he 
found  in  his  pocket  —  that  is  in  M.  Goefle's  pocket — a 
letter  signed  by  the  baron,  which  proved  to  be  a  regular 
invitation  for  the  honorable  M.  Goefle  and  family,  this 
being  the  usual  formula.  As  soon  as  Cristiano  saw  what 
it  was,  he  handed  it  boldly  to  the  major-domo,  who  read 
it  at  a  glance. 

" Monsieur  is  the  relative  of  M.  Goefle?"  he  said,  put- 
ting the  letter  into  a  basket  with  a  great  many  others. 

"  Of  course  !  "  replied  Cristiano,  with  assurance. 

M.  Johan  (this  was  the  name  of  the  major-domo)  bowed 
again,  and  opened  a  door  upon  the  main  staircase,  where 
the  guests  stopping  at  the  chateau  were  coming  and  going, 
as  well  as  the  neighbors,  who,  as  they  were  perfectly  well 
known  to  the  servants  of  the  house,  were  allowed  to  enter 
freely.  Cristiano' s  introduction  was  confined  to  this  sim- 
ple formality,  which  he  would  have  been  very  glad  to  dis- 
pense with,  for  he  did  not  propose  to  take  any  direct  part 
in  the  entertainment,  but  wanted  merely  to  have  a  gen- 
eral view  of  it,  and  enjoy  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the 
charming  Margaret. 

He  entered,  first,  the  long  frescoed  gallery  that  trav- 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


59 


ersed  the  whole  of  the  main  building,  and  which  was 
decorated  with  passable  success,  in  imitation  of  the 
Italian  taste,  introduced  into  Sweden  by  Queen  Christina. 
The  pictures  were  not  good,  but  they  were  effective.  They 
represented  hunting  scenes ;  and  though  an  artist  could 
not  have  failed  to  criticise  the  drawing  and  action  of  the 
dogs,  horses,  and  wild  animals,  he  could  at  least  have 
enjoyed  the  general  effect  of  the  brilliant  and  lively 
coloring. 

Cristiano  walked  along  this  gallery  until  he  came  to  a 
handsome  saloon,  where  they  were  beginning  to  dance. 
His  only  thought  in  looking  at  the  ladies  taking  part 
was  of  Margaret,  but  his  desire  to  see  her  was  blended 
with  a  secret  anxiety.  How  should  he  renew  the  conver- 
sation begun  at  Stollborg?  how  substitute  his  own  char- 
acter? or,  at  all  events,  some  new  character,  no  matter 
what,  for  the  one  he  had  assumed?  This  no  longer 
appeared  to  him  so  easy  as  he  had  imagined  it  would 
prove  on  -engaging  in  this  wild  adventure.  He  was 
almost  glad  to  find  that  Margaret  was  not  in  the  ball- 
room ;  and  he  took  advantage  of  this  respite  —  for  so  he 
felt  it  to  be — to  try  and  form  an  idea  of  the  company 
moving  before  him. 

Contrary  to  his  expectation,  he  found  nothing  to 
wonder  at.  At  a  first  glance,  this  gathering  had  none  of 
the  peculiarities  that  he  had  anticipated.  The  age,  at 
this  period,  belonged  to  Voltaire,  and  consequently  to 
France.  Like  most  of  the  European  sovereigns,  the 
upper  classes  in  almost  every  part  of  Europe  had 
adopted  the  language,  and  apparently  the  philosophical 
and  literary  ideas  of  France.  But,  as  taste,  logic,  and 
discernment  are  always  confined  to  the  select  few,  this 
infatuation  for  our  ideas  gave  rise  to  a  great  many 
inconsistencies.  For  example,  the  customs  and  manners 
of  foreign  nations  reproduced  much  more  frequently  the 
corruption  and  effeminacy  of  Versailles  than  the  stu- 
dious leisure  of  Ferney,  France  was  the  fashion  as 
well  as  philosophy.  Arts,  customs,  monuments,  good 
breeding,  deportment,  conduct,  were  all  copied,  with 
more  or  less  success,  from  the  prevailing  French  fashion. 


6o  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

France,  with  all  her  contradictory  qualities,  good  and 
bad,  magnificent  and  petty,  noble  and  contemptible,  was 
accepted  indiscriminately.  It  was  one  of  those  charac- 
teristic epochs,  when  progress  and  decay  shake  hands 
before  joining  in  deadly  conflict. 

The  ball  given  by  Baron  Olaus  was  a  mere  imitation, 
a  little  behind  the  times,  of  a  French  reunion  of  the 
eighteenth  century  ;  and  yet  the  baron  hated  France,  and 
was  intriguing  in  the  interest  of  Russia.  But  in  Rus- 
sia also  they  imitated  France,  and  spoke  the  French  lan- 
guage ;  at  court  they  were  extremely  barbarous,  and 
even  ferocious  in  their  manners,  and  yet  they  were 
trying  to  adopt  the  gallant  manners  and  intellectual  re- 
finement of  French  civilization.  Baron  Olaus,  there- 
fore, was  borne  along  by  the  irresistible  current  of  the 
age.  We  shall  learn  his  history  later.  Let  us  return 
now  to  Cristiano. 

After  looking  for  a  while  at  the  dresses  of  the  ladies, 
which  seemed  to  him  only  a  few  years  behind  French 
fashions,  and  at  their  faces,  which  were  generally  sweet 
and  intelligent,  although  they  were  not  all  young  and 
beautiful,  he  turned  his  attention  to  the  gentlemen,  and 
tried  to  recognize,  that  is  to  say  to  guess  among  them, 
the  face  and  figure  of  the  master  of  the  house.  Not  far 
from  the  spot  where  he  was  observing  all  that  went  on 
without  making  himself  conspicuous,  two  men  were 
talking  in  a  low  voice,  with  their  backs  towards  him. 
Involuntarily  Cristiano  followed  their  conversation, 
although  he  felt  no  personal  interest  in  it. 

These  two  men  were  talking  French,  one  with  a  Rus- 
sian, and  the  other  with  a  Swedish  accent.  The  language 
of  courts  and  diplomacy  seemed  to  be  necessary  to  en- 
able them  to  exchange  their  ideas. 

"Pshaw!"  said  the  Swede,  "I  am  not  a  cap  any 
more  than  a  hat,  although  I  am  thought  to  be  at  the 
head  of  a  certain  faction  of  the  thickest  cotton  caps  in 
the  Diet.  I  laugh  at  them  all  alike,  as  a  matter  of  fact  ; 
you .  understand  very  little  about  Sweden,  if  you  think 
more  of  one  than  of  the  others." 


THE  SNOW  MAN.  61 

"  I  know  it,"  replied  the  Russian  ;  "  they  sell  their  votes 
to  the  highest  bidder." 

"Bid,  then  !  You  have  no  other  policy.  It  is  simple, 
and  for  you  easy,  since  yours  is  a  rich  government.  I 
am  with  you  heart  and  soul,  Avithout  any  question  of 
recompense.  With  me  it  is  a  matter  of  conviction." 

"  I  know  you  are  not  one  of  those  patriots  of  the 
golden  age,  who  are  dreaming  about  the  Scandinavian 
union,  and  that  one  can  always  come  to  an  under- 
standing with  you.  The  empress  relies  upon  you,  but 
you  need  not  hope  to  avoid  her  liberality ;  she  accepts 
no  service  without  rewarding  it  magnificently." 

'•I  am  aware  of  it,"  replied  the  Swede,  with  a  bru- 
tality that  struck  Cristiano ;  "I  have  learned  it  from 
experience.  Long  live  the  great  Catherine !  If  she 
wants  to  put  us  in  her  pocket,  let  her  do  it ;  I  shall  be 
the  last  one  to  offer  any  opposition.  If  she  will  only  rid 
us  of  all  these  foolish  doctrines  about  the  rights  and 
liberty  of  the  peasants — which  are  our  curse  —  she  will 
be  doing  a  good  work.  The  citizens  and  noblemen  who 
are  their  leaders,  ought  to  be  arrested,  and  have  respect- 
ively a  good  taste  of  the  knout,  and  a  good  dose  of 
Siberia  administered  to  them.  As  for  our  worthy  king, 
if  his  bishopric  is  restored  to  him,  and,  above  all,  if  he 
gets  rid  of  his  wife,  he  will  have  nothing  to  complain  of." 

"Don't  speak  so  loud,"  replied  the  Russian,  "some 
one  may  be  listening  without  seeming  to." 

"  There  is  no  danger.  Every  one  here  pretends  to 
speak  French,  but  there  are  not  ten  persons  out  of  a 
hundred  who  can  understand  it.  Besides,  what  I  have 
just  said,  I  am  in  the  habit  of  saying  freely.  I  dis- 
covered long  ago  that  it  is  the  best  policy  to  make  your 
opinions  feared.  For  my  part,  I  shout  upon  the  house- 
tops that  Sweden  is  done  for.  Let  those  who  object 
prove  the  contrary." 

Although  Cristiano  did  not  belong  to  any  nation, 
although  he  knew  nothing  either  of  his  country  or 
family,  he  felt  indignant  to  hear  a  Swede  so  impudently 
selling  his  nationality,  and  ho  tried  to  see  the  features 
of  the  man  who  could  talk  so ;  but  his  attention  was 


62  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

suddenly  diverted  by  the  bustling,  awkward  approach 
of  an  eccentric  individual,  who  was  running  about  from 
group  to  group  with  the  activity  of  a  man  who  is  taking 
pains  to  do  the  honors  of  the  entertainment.  This  indi- 
vidual was  dressed  in  a  gaudy  red  coat,  very  richly  em- 
broidered, and  decorated  with  the  Swedish  order  of  the 
polar  star.  His  wig  was  frizzed  magnificently,  in  the 
very  worst  style,  and  was  much  too  high  for  the  fashion  ; 
while  his  enormous  cuifs  of  superb  lace  were  more  sug- 
gestive of  luxury  than  neatness.  In  other  respects  he 
was  old,  ugly,  petulant,  and  whimsical ;  slightly  hump- 
backed, very  lame,  and  completely  cross-eyed.  This  last 
defect  gave  him,  at  a  first  glance,  a  wicked  expression, 
and  Cristiano  concluded  that  this  disagreeable  original 
must  be  one  and  the  same  person  with  Margaret's  absurd 
and  hateful  suitor. 

To  avoid  being  obliged  to  introduce  himself,  and  keep 
up  his  pretended  relationship  with  M.  Goefle,  whose 
name  he  had  assumed  unscrupulously  and  without  danger 
in  his  interview  with  the  major-domo,  Cristiano  pru- 
dently withdrew.  He  resolved  now  to  go  from  room  to 
room  until  he  had  seen  the  young  countess,  even  if  he 
should  be  obliged  to  retire  immediately,  without  speak- 
ing to  her.  He  imagined  that  the  hump-backed  chatelain 
had  looked  at  him  with  a  good  deal  of  curiosity,  but  he 
made  his  way  skilfully  through  a  group  of  persons  who 
were  talking  near  a  door,  and  flattered  himself  that  he 
had  escaped  in  time. 

He  walked  along  for  several  minutes,  not  exactly  in  a 
crowd  (the  place  was  so  large  that  the  guests  did  not 
look  very  numerous),  but  amid  lively  groups,  which  he 
did  not  have  leisure  to  observe  attentively.  Fearing  to 
be  questioned  before  he  could  find  Margaret,  he  passed 
with  a  preoccupied  manner  and  proud  expression — 
which  he  assumed  all  the  more  because  he  felt  his  audac- 
ity ready  to  fail  him.  And  yet,  whether  from  curiosity 
about  a  guest  that  no  one  knew,  or  because  of  their  ad- 
miration for  his  fine  presence  and  remarkable  face,  people 
everywhere  seemed  inclined  to  speak  to  him,  or  at  least 
to  receive  his  advances  favorably.  But  Cristiano  was 


THE   SNO  W  MAN.  63 

feeling  a  sort  of  vertigo  that  made  him  misunderstand  the 
affable  glances  and  good-humored  smiles  that  were  be- 
stowed upon  him.  He  hurried  along,  therefore,  without 
pretending  to  disguise  that  he  was  seeking  some  one  ;  to 
the  persons  who  made  way  before  him,  he  bowed  with  an 
easy  grace  that  was  natural  to  him,  but  without  daring 
to  look  at  them  closely. 

At  last,  on  returning  to  the  hunting-gallery,  as  it 
was  called,  he  saw  two  ladies,  in  whom  he  immedi- 
ately recognized  the  blond  fairy  whom  he  had  seen  at 
Stollborg  an  hour  before,  and  her  governess.  Made- 
moiselle Potin's  simple  dress,  timid  and  refined  manner, 
and  a  something  about  her  unmistakably  French,  left 
no  doubt  as  to  her  identity.  This  completed  the  first  part 
of  the  little  romance  that  Cristiano  had  planned.  He  was 
at  the  chateau,  he  had  found  no  sort  of  difficulty  in 
getting  admitted,  he  had  avoided  the  observation  and 
questions  of  the  master  of  the  house  ;  and,  lastly,  he  had 
found  Margaret  under  the  kind  protection  of  her  confi- 
dante. But  this  was  not  all.  He  had  still  to  approach 
the  young  countess,  or  attract  her  attention,  and  find 
some  means  of  renewing  their  acquaintance  on  a  new 
footing. 

The  second  part  of  the  romance  opened  in  rather  an 
alarming  way.  Just  as  Cristiano,  who  hoped  that  a 
look  of  Margaret's  would  inspire  him,  was  trying  to 
catch  her  eye,  he  -heard  an  unequal  step  clamping  along 
behind  him,  and  a  shrill,  squeaking  voice  stopped  him 
short  with  these  words  : 

"Monsieur!  Stranger!  stranger!  Where  are  you 
going  so  fast?" 

The  adventurer  turned,  and  found  himself  face  to  face 
with  the  deformed,  cross-eyed  old  man,  whom  he 
thought  he  had  so  successfully  avoided.  It  was  literally 
face  to  face,  for  the  lame  man,  who  was  rushing  in  pur- 
suit of  him,  could  not  change  his  gait  quickly  enough,  and 
almost  fell  into  his  arms.  Cristiano  might  have  fled, 
but  that  would  have  been  to  lose  everything ;  he  faced 
it  out  boldly,  and  replied  : 


64  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

"I  beg  a  thousand  pardous,  baron;  you  are  the  very 
person  I  was  looking  for." 

"Ah,  indeed!"  said  the  lame  man,  holding  out  his 
hand  with  sudden  cordiality;  "I  thought  as  much.  I 
remarked  your  face  among  all  the  others.  '  That  is  an 
educated  man,'  I  said  to  myself ;  '  some  learned  trav- 
eller, a  serious  person,  a  mind,  in  a  word,  and  certainly  I 
am  the  pole  which  always  attracts  such  magnets.'  Well, 
here  I  am,  at  your  service.  It  gives  me  pleasure  to 
devote  myself  to  you.  I  love  young  people  when  they 
are  studious,  and  you  can  ask  me  all  the  questions  that 
you  want  to  have  solved." 

There  was  so  much  simplicity  and  good-humor  in  the 
old  man's  laughing  face  and  vain  talk,  that  Cristiano  in  his 
heart  accused  Margaret  of  doing  him  injustice.  He  Avas 
an  absurd  and  impossible  lover,  to  be  sure,  but  he  was 
the  best  old  fellow  in  the  world,  and  as  harmless  as  a 
child.  Although  one  of  his  eyes  did  wander  about  the 
room  in  a  vague  and  aimless  sort  of  a  way,  the  other 
one  looked  at  his  companion  with  such  a  frank  and 
fatherly  expression,  that  it  was  utterly  out  of  the  ques- 
tion to  accuse  him  of  ferocity. 

"I  am  overwhelmed  by  your  goodness,  baron,"  re- 
plied Cristiano,  sufficiently  reassured  to  be  somewhat 
ironical.  "I  knew  that  you  were  versed  in  the  sciences, 
and  therefore  having  myself  some  feeble  notion  — " 

"You  wanted  to  ask  my  advice,  to  have  the  benefit  of 
my  instruction,  perhaps.  Ah  !  my  dear  friend,  method, 
method  in  *  all  things.  But  I  won't  keep  you  standing 
among  these  frivolous  people,  who  arc  coining  and 
going;  sit  down,  sit  down.  No  one  will  disturb  us  ;  and, 
if  you  feel  inclined,  we  will  talk  all  night.  When 
science  is  the  theme,  I  forget  all  about  fatigue,  hunger, 
and  sleep.  You  are  the  same,  no  doubt.  The  fact  is 
you  must  be  so,  or  not  meddle  with  becoming  learned ! " 

"Alas!"  thought  Cristiano,  "I  have  fallen  into  the 
bottom  of  a  well  of  science,  and  am  condemned  to  the 
mines,  I  wager,  neither  more  nor  less  than  an  exile  of 
Siberia." 

This  discovery  was  the  more  cruel,  because  Margaret 


THE   SNOW  MAN.  65 

had  passed  on,  and  was  already  at  the  end  of  the  gallery, 
chatting  with  one  and  another  of  the  persons  who  came 
forward  to  greet  her,  and  evidently  going  to  the  ball- 
room, where  the  baron  did  not  seem  at  all  inclined  to 
join  her.  He  was  seated  in  one  of  the  semicircular 
embrasures  of  the  gallery,  near  a  stove,  concealed  by 
some  branches  of  yew  and  ivy,  which,  with  various 
hunting  weapons  and  stuffed  heads  of  wild  animals, 
formed  a  trophy. 

"I  see,"  said  Cristiano,  who  would  have  given  a  great 
deal  to  avoid  the  proposed  scientific  conversation,  "  that 
you  are  a  universal  genius.  Your  skill  in  hunting  is 
everywhere  talked  of,  and  I  am  surprised  that  you  have 
time  — 

"Why  do  you  take  me  for  a  hunter?"  replied  the  old 
man,  with  a  look  of  surprise.  "  Oh  !  you  suppose  that  I 
am  guilty  of  the  murder  of  those  beasts,  whose  mutilated 
heads  arc  hanging  there,  looking  at  us  so  sadly  with  their 
poor  enamel  eyes  !  You  are  mistaken  ;  I  never  hunted 
in  my  life.  I  have  a  horror  of  amusements  which 
increase  the  ferocity  only  too  natural  to  man.  It  is  to 
the  study  of  the  insensible  but  fruitful  entrails  of  the 
globe  that  I  have  devoted  myself." 

•'  Excuse  me,  baron,  I  thought  —  " 

"There,  again,  why  do  you  call  me  baron?  I  am 
nothing  of  the  kind  ;  although  it  is  true  that  the  king 
ennobled  me  and  conferred  on  me  the  knighthood  of  the 
polar  star,  as  a  reward  for  my  labors  in  the  mines  of 
Falun.  I  was  professor  of  the  school  of  mineralogy  in 
that  city,  as  of  course  you  know,  but  I  have  no  right  to 
a  title.  It  is  quite  enough  for  me  to  have  some  few 
privileges  which  give  me  a  position  with  the  haughty 
caste,  for  which,  after  all,  I  don't  care  the  least  in  the 
world." 

"  I  have  made  some  mistake,"  thought  Cristiano. 
"  Oh,  then !  I  shall  have  to  escape  from  this  scientific 
gentleman  as  quickly  as  possible,  although  I  seek  him 
out  again  later." 

But  he  changed  his  mind  suddenly  when  he  saw  Mar- 
garet turning  back,  and  proceeding  slowly,  in  spite  of 


66  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

numerous  interruptions,  towards  the  very  spot  where  he 
was  seated.  His  only  thought  now  was  to  put  himself 
on  the  best  terms  with  the  geologist,  so  that  he  might 
introduce  him,  if  he  could  possibly  bring  it  about,  as  a 
distinguished  man.  He  dashed  into  conversation,  there- 
fore ;  and  he  knew  more  than  enough  to  ask  intelligent 
questions.  At  Falun,  in  the  morning,  he  had  visited 
the  principal  mine,  and  had  taken  pleasure  in  collecting 
a  number  of  interesting  specimens,  to  the  great  disgust 
of  Puffo,  who  often  thought  him  crazy.  He  knew, 
moreover,  that  if  you  listen  respectfully  to  a  learned 
and  vain  man,  and  give  him  an  opportunity  to  display  his 
knowledge,  he  will  be  pretty  sure,  as  a  usual  thing,  to 
think  you  very  intelligent.  This  is  exactly  what  hap- 
pened. Without  dreaming  of  asking  his  name,  his 
country,  or  his  profession,  the  professor  gave  Cristiano  a 
minute  description  of  the  subterranean  world.  In  fact, 
upon  the  surface  of  the  globe,  he  cared  for  nothing 
but  himself,  his  reputation,  and  his  writings  ;  in  a  word, 
for  the  success  of  his  observations  and  discoveries. 

At  any  other  time  Cristiano  would  have  listened  with 
pleasure,  for  he  saw  plainly  that  he  was  talking  to  a  man 
who  was  thoroughly  master  of  his  subject,  and,  for  his 
own  part,  he  felt  a  deep  interest  in  all  departments  of 
natural  science  ;  but  Margaret  was,  approaching,  and  his 
thoughts  began  to  wander.  The  professor  noticed  his 
sudden  preoccupation,  and  looking  around  with  his  good 
eye,  cried : 

"Ah  !  there  is  my  fiancee  !  I  am  no  longer  surprised  ! 
Parbleut  my  dear  friend,  I  must  introduce  you  to  the 
most  amiable  person  in  the  kingdom." 

"It  is  really  he,  then  !"  thought  Cristiano,  in  pro- 
found amazement.  "  I  am  talking  to  Baron  Olaus  !  He 
seems  to  be  half  crazy,  but  this  is  actually  the  old  man 
to  whom  this  Rose  of  the  North  is  to  be  sacrificed  ! " 

He  ceased  to  doubt,  although  his  surprise  was  re- 
doubled when  he  saw  Margaret  quicken  her  step,  and 
heard  her  say  to  Mademoiselle  Potin  : 

u  Here  is  my  lover  at  last ! " 


THE  SNOW  MAN.  67 

She  held  out  her  hand  to  the  old  man,  and  added,  with 
a  sweet  and  almost  tender  smile  : 

"  What  are  you  thinking  of,  monsieur,  to  hide  yourself 
in  this  little  corner,  when  your  fiancee  has  been  looking  for 
you  for  the  last  hour?" 

"You  see,"  said  the  professor  to  Cristiano,  with  art- 
less satisfaction,  "she  looks  for  me,  she  is  unhappy 
when  I  am  not  with  her !  What  would  you  have,  my 
beauty?  It  is  not  my  fault  that  so  many  people  wish  to 
consult  me,  and  here  is  a  charming  young  man,  a  trav- 
eller— French,  are  you  not?  or  Italian,  for  you  have  a 
very  slight  foreign  accent  ?  Allow  me,  Countess  Marga- 
ret, to  introduce  my  young  friend,  M.  de .  Excuse 

me,  monsieur,  what  is  your  name?" 

"Christian  Goefle,"  said  Cristiano,  without  hesitation. 

At  this  assumed  name,  and,  above  all,  at  the  young 
man's  voice  and  pronunciation,  Margaret  trembled. 

"Are  you  Monsieur  Goefle's  son?"  she  said,  eagerly. 
"Oh,  it  is  singular  how  much  you  resemble  him  !" 

"There  would  be  nothing  singular  in  such  near  rela- 
tives looking  alike,"  replied  the  professor,  "  but  this 
gentleman  can  only  be  Goefle's  nephew.  Goefle  never 
married,  and  consequently  he  has  no  children,  any  more 
than  myself." 

"That  would  be  no  reason,"  Cristiano  whispered  in 
the  professor's  ear. 

"To  be  sure  ;  you  are  right !"  replied  the  latter  in  the 
same  tone,  and  with  the  most  incredible  simplicity;  "I 
did  not  think  of  that !  That  devil  of  a  Goefle  !  You 
are  his  son,  then,  by  a  left-handed  marriage?" 

"Brought  up  in  a  foreign  country,  and  just  arrived  in 
Sweden,"  replied  Cristiano,  astonished  at  the  success  of 
his  impromptu  suggestions. 

"Well,  well!"  replied  the  professor,  who  cared  very 
little  about  other  people's  affairs.  "  I  understand  ;  it  is 
quite  plain — you  are  his  nephew." 

He  turned  to  Margaret. 

"I  know  this  gentleman  perfectly  well,"  he  said ;  "he 
is  the  nephew  of  my  excellent  friend  Monsieur  Goefle, 
and  I  have  the  honor  to  present  him  to  you.  You  don't 


68  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

know  M.  Goefle,  but  you  said  this  morning  that  you 
would  like  to  become  acquainted  with  him." 

"And  so  I  should,"  cried  Margaret. 

She  blushed  as  she  spoke,  for  at  that  very  moment  she 
met  Cristiano's  eyes,  and  their  vivacity  reminded  her  of 
those  of  the  false  Goefle.  From  time  to  time  the  young 
man,  with  an  involuntary  movement,  had  raised  the  doc- 
tor's green  spectacles,  so  as  to  see  better,  and  Margaret 
had  noticed  how  brilliantly  his  eyes  flashed  between  the 
ear-pieces  of  his  fur  cap. 

"  But  how  is  it,"  resumed  the  professor,  addressing 
the  young  girl  without  observing  her  confusion,  "that 
you  are  not  dancing?  I  thought  you  would  be  the  queen 
of  the  evening,  and  that  no  one  would  have  a  chance  to 
speak  to  you." 

"Well,  my  dear  lover,  you  are  mistaken.  I  am  not 
going  to  dance.  I  sprained  my  foot  coming  down  stairs. 
Don't  you  see  how  lame  I  am  ?  " 

"No,  I  can't  say  that  I  do.  You  want  to  resemble 
me,  do  you?  Tell  M.  Goefle  how  it  was  that  I  became 
lame  ;  it  was  a  terrible  affair,  and  would  have  been  the 
death  of  any  one  else.  Yes,  monsieur,  you  see  before 
you  a  victim  of  science." 

Without  giving  Margaret  time  to  speak,  he  began  to 
relate,  with  great  animation,  how  the  rope  had  broken 
as  he  had  been  descending  into  a  mine,  and  how  he 
had  fallen  with  the  basket  into  the  bottom  of  the  abyss, 
a  distance  of  fifty  feet,  seven  inches,  and  five  lines.  For 
six  hours,  fifty-three  minutes,  and  how  many  seconds  we 
are  not  prepared  to  state,  he  lay  in  a  swoon,  and  for  two 
months,  four  days,  and  three  hours  and  a  half,  had  not 
been  able  to  move.  With  the  same  exasperating  accu- 
racy he  specified  the  exact  size  of  the  plasters  that  had 
been  applied  to  his  various  wounds,  and  the  quantity,  by 
drachms,  grains,  and  scruples,  of  the  different  drugs  that 
he  had  absorbed,  whether  in  doses  taken  internally,  or  by 
means  of  external  applications  rubbed  into  his  skin. 

It  was  a  long  story,  although  the  old  man  spoke  rap- 
idly, and  did  not  repeat  himself.  His  memory  was  a  real 
scourge  ;  it  would  not  allow  him  to  omit  the  least  circum- 


THE   SNOW  MAN.  69 

stance ;  and  when  he  was  talking  of  himself,  it  never 
occurred  to  him  that  any  one  could  be  tired  of  listening. 

Margaret,  who  knew  the  story  by  heart,  could  not  be 
very  attentive,  and  talked  aside  with  Mademoiselle  Potin 
for  a  few  moments.  The  result  of  this  short  conference, 
which  Cristiauo  did  not  fail  to  notice,  was  soon  evident ; 
good  Mademoiselle  Potin  seized  the  moment  when  the 
professor  had  finished  his  story,  and  before  he  could  em- 
bark in  another,  which  he  was  all  ready  to  do,  begged 
him,  with  hypocritical  frankness,  to  explain  a  paragraph 
in  his  last  work,  which  she  pretended  she  had  not  been 
able  to  understand. 

Cristiano  could  not  help  admiring  woman's  natural 
tact,  when  he  saw  how  eagerly  the  professor  entered  into 
a  discussion  with  the  governess,  while  Margaret's  eyes 
said  clearly  to  the  young  man  : 

"  I  am  dying  to  speak  to  you." 

He  did  not  wait  to  be  told  twice,  but  followed  her  to 
the  other  extremity  of  the  little  semicircle,  where  she 
seated  herself  upon  a  sofa,  while  he  stood  before  her  in  a 
respectful  attitude,  outside  the  embrasure,  in  such  a  way 
as  to  shield  her  from  observation. 

"Monsieur  Christian  Goefle,"  she  said,  looking  at 
him  again  with  the  greatest  attention,  "you  are  surpris- 
ingly like  your  uncle  ! " 

"•I  have  often  been  told  so,  mademoiselle  ;  it  seems  that 
it  is  a  striking  likeness." 

"  I  have  never  seen  him  well ;  indeed,  I  may  say  that 
I  have  never  seen  his  face  at  all ;  but  his  accent,  his 
pronunciation  —  yours  are  absolutely  the  same." 

"I  should  have  supposed  that  my  voice  would  be 
rather  younger  than  his,"  replied  Cristiano,  who  had 
taken  pains  at  Stollborg  to  speak,  every  now  and  then, 
like  au  old  man. 

"Yes,  no  doubt,"  said  the  young  girl;  "there  is  the 
difference  of  age,  although  your  uncle  still  has  a  very 
fine  organ.  After  all,  he  cannot  be  so  very  old !  He 
seemed  to  me  much  younger  than  people  say.  He  has 
magnificent  eyes,  and  is  almost  of  your  height." 

"Just   about   the   same,"  said   Cristiano,    giving    an 


7o 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


involuntary  glance  at  the  doctor  of  law's  suit  of  clothes, 
and  asking  himself  whether  Margaret  was  speaking  iron- 
ically, or  questioning  him  in  good  faith. 

He  resolved  to  bring  about  an  explanation. 

"There  is  another  point  of  resemblance  between  my 
uncle  and  myself,"  he  said,  "  and  that  is  the  deep  interest 
that  we  feel  in  a  person  of  your  acquaintance,  and  the 
desire  with  which  we  both  are  animated  to  be  of  service 
to  her." 

"Ah!  ah!"  said  the  young  girl,  blushing  with  an 
air  of  frankness  that  dissipated  Cristiano's  anxiety;  "I 
see  that  your  uncle  has  been  gossiping,  and  that  he  has 
told  you  about  my  visit  this  evening." 

"I  don't  know  whether  you  confided  any  secret  to 
him ;  in  what  he  repeated  to  me  there  was  no  mystery 
at  which  you  need  blush." 

"Repeated? — repeated?  I  believe  you  were  there,  in 
some  room  or  closet  close  by;  you  heard  everything." 

"It  was  so,  I  confess,"  replied  Cristiano,  who  saw 
that  she  would  confide  in  him  more  quickly  if  he  took 
advantage  of  her  innocent  suggestion.  "  I  was  in  my 
uncle's  bedroom,  arranging  his  papers.  Without  his 
knowledge,  and  in  spite  of  myself,  I  heard  everything." 

"That  is  very  pleasant,  upon  my  word  1"  said  Mar- 
garet, somewhat  confused,  and  yet  pleased  without  know- 
ing why  ;  "instead  of  one  confidante  it  seems  that  I  had 
two." 

"Your  confession  seemed  to  be  that  of  an  angel; 
but  I  am  beginning  to  be  afraid  that  it  was  in  reality 
that  of  a  demon." 

"Thanks  for  your  good  opinion.  Will  you  tell  me 
what  has  caused  it  ?  " 

"A  strange  insincerity  that  I  cannot  explain.  You 
described  Baron  Olaus  as  a  monster,  physically  and 
morally — " 

"Excuse  me,  monsieur;  you  did  not  understand  me. 
I  called  him  disagreeable,  terrible  ;  I  never  said  that  he 
was  ugly." 

"And  yet  you  might  have  said  so  truthfully;  for  to 
speak  plainly,  he  is  abominably  ugly." 


THE  SNOW  MAN.  71 

"It  is  true  that  his  hard  and  cold  expression  makes 
him  seem  so ;  but  every  one  agrees  that  he  has  very 
fine  features." 

"The  people  of  this  country  have  a  singular  stand- 
ard ;  but  there  is  ne  disputing  about  tastes !  I  do  not 
agree  with  them.  He  seems  to  me  ugly  and  deformed, 
but  comical  and  good-humored." 

"You  are  certainly  joking,  M.  Christian  Goefle,  or  we 
do  not  understand  each  other.  God  forgive  me,  you 
are  looking  at  the  person  opposite.  Is  it  possible  that 
you  have  mistaken  him  for  the  Baron  de  Waldemora?" 

"How  can  I  help  supposing  that  the  person  who  calls 
you  his  fiancee,  and  whom  you  gayly  call  your  lover,  is 
the  baron?" 

Margaret  burst  out  laughing. 

"Oh!  dear  me,"  she  cried,  "  if  you  have  really  imag- 
ined that  I  could  treat  Baron  Olaus  with  such  friendly 
familiarity,  you  must  have  thought  me  very  deceitful  or 
very  inconsistent ;  but,  thank  God,  I  am  neither  the  one 
nor  the  other.  The  individual  whom  I  call  jestingly  my 
lover,  is  a  person  of  no  less  consequence  than  the 
doctor  of  sciences,  Monsieur  Stangstadius,  of  whom  you 
must  have  heard  your  uncle  speak." 

"Doctor  Stangstadius,"  replied  Cristiano,  feeling 
very  much  relieved;  "I  must  confess  that  I  do  not 
know  him,  even  by  name.  I  have  just  arrived  from  a 
distant  country,  where  I  have  always  lived." 

"I  can  understand,  then,"  replied  Margaret,  "how  it 
is  that  you  have  not  heard  of  our  learned  mineralogist. 
Your  opinion  of  him  is  very  correct.  He  is  an  excellent 
man,  sometimes  a  little  violent,  but  never  malicious. 
And  then  he  is  simple  as  a  child !  There  are  certain 
days  when  he  imagines  that  my  passion  for  him,  as  he 
calls  it,  is  serious,  and  when  he  tries  to  break  the  chain, 
assuring  me  that  a  great  man  like  himself  belongs  to  the 
universe,  and  cannot  devote  himself  to  a  woman.  I 
have  known  him  for  a  long  time  ;  ever  since  he  came  to 
the  chateau  where  I  was  brought  up,  for  the  purpose  of 
making  investigations  on  our  estates.  He  passed  several 
weeks  with  us,  and,  since  then,  my  aunt  has  allowed  him 


72  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

to  visit  me  whenever  his  business  brings  him  to  our  prov- 
ince. He  was  my  only  acquaintance  here  when  I 
arrived,  for  you  must  know  that  Baron  Olaus  has  made 
him  superintendent  of  important  mining  operations  on 
his  domain.  But  there  is  my  aunt  looking  for  me ! 
Now  I  shall  have  a  good  scolding,  you  will  see  ! " 

"Do  you  want  to  avoid  her?  Pass  between  the  wall 
and  this  hunting  trophy." 

"Potin  would  have  to  go  too,  and  we  could  never 
persuade  M.  Stangstadiiis  to  keep  our  secret.  Oh  dear ! 
now  my  aunt  will  torment  me  to  death  to  dance  with  the 
baron,  but  I  shall  persist  in  being  lame,  though  the 
pain  is  so  slight  that  I  scarcely  feel  it." 

"  It  is  nothing  at  all,  I  hope." 

"  Yes,  indeed.  I  was  so  fortunate  as  to  fall  down  on  the 
staircase  a  little  while  ago,  in  my  aunt's  presence.  My 
ankle  really  did  hurt  me  a  little,  and  I  looked  dreadfully 
woe-begone,  to  prove  that  I  could  not  possibly  open  the 
court  dance  with  the  master  of  the  house.  My  aunt  had 
to  take  my  place,  and  that  is  why  I  am  here  ;  but  the 
dance  is  over,  and  here  she  comes  ! " 

In  fact,  Countess  Elfride  d'Elveda  approached,  and 
Cristiano,  who  had  taken  a  seat  by  Margaret's  side, 
drew  back  a  little. 

The  countess  was  a  small  woman,  fair,  fat,  lively  and 
resolute.  She  was  scarcely  thirty-five  years  old,  and 
was  very  coquettish,  although  less  from  gallantry  than  a 
love  of  intrigue. 

She  was  one  of  the  most  ardent  caps  in  Sweden  ;  that 
is,  she  took  sides  with  Russia  against  France,  whose 
partisans  were  called  hats;  and  with  the  nobility  and 
Lutheran  clergy  against  the  king,  Avho  naturally  sought 
his  support  in  the  other  orders  of  the  state,  the  citizens 
and  peasants. 

She  had  been  pretty,  and,  what  Avith  her  wit  and 
rank,  Avas  still  sufficiently  so  to  make  conquests  ;  but 
there  Avas  .something  in  her  manner,  by  turns  haughty 
and  familiar,  that  displeased  Crist iauo.  Her  evident 
duplicity  and  obstinacy,  which  lie  read  at  a  glance,  did 
not  seem  to  him  to  promise  well  for  Margaret's  future. 


THE   SNOW  MAN.  73 

"Well,"  she  said  to  the  latter,  sharply  and  briefly, 
"what  are  you  doing  here  crouched  up  against  this  stove, 
as  if  you  were  frozen?  Come,  I  want  to  speak  to  you  ! " 

"Yes,  aunt,"  replied  Margaret,  pretending,  with  inno- 
cent hypocrisy,  to  rise  with  difficulty;  "but  the  fact  is 
that  I  am  suffering  very  much  with  my  foot.  Being 
unable  to  dance,  I  felt  cold  in  the  large  saloon." 

"Whom  were  you  talking  to?"  inquired  the  countess, 
looking  at  Cristiano,  who  had  gone  up  to  M.  Stang- 
stadius. 

"The  nephew  of  your  friend  M.  Goefle,  whom  Mon- 
sieur Stangstadius  just  presented  to  me.  Shall  I  intro- 
duce him  to  you,  aunt  ?  " 

Cristiano,  who  was  not  listening  to  the  professor, 
heard  perfectly  well  Avhat  Margaret  said.  Resolved  to 
risk  everything  to  continue-  his  acquaintance  with  the 
niece,  he  came  forward  of  his  own  accord,  and  bowed 
to  the  aunt  in  such  a  respectful  and  graceful  manner, 
that  she  Avas  struck  by  his  fine  appearance.  She  must 
have  been  very  much  in  need  of  M.  Goefle,  for,  in  spite 
of  Cristiano's  plebeian  name,  she  received  him  as  courte- 
ously as  if  he  had  belonged  to  one  of  the  best  families  in 
the  country  ;  and  when  Monsieur  Stangstadius  declared 
that  he  was  a  young  man  of  great  merit,  became  exces- 
sively condescending. 

"I  am  delighted  to  make  your  acquaintance,"  she 
said,  "  and  I  am  angry  with  M.  Goefle  for  never  speaking 
to  me  about  a  nephew  who  does  him  honor.  Are  you  a 
devotee  of  science,  like  our  distinguished  friend  Stang- 
stadius ?  I  am  glad  to  hear  it.  There  is  no  finer  career 
that  a  young  man  can  choose.  No  position  is  more  agree- 
able than  that  of  the  scientific  man,  for  he  is  not  obliged 
to  make  sacrifices  to  obtain  consideration." 

"  I  see  that  it  is  so  in  Sweden,"  replied  Cristiano,  "  and 
it  is  an  honor  to  this  noble  country.  In  Italy,  .where  I 
was  brought  up,  and  even  in  France,  which  was  my 
home  for  some  time,  it  is  very  different ;  there,  learned 
men  are  generally  poor,. and  poorly  encouraged,  when 
they  are  not  persecuted  by  religious  fanaticism." 

This  reply  enraptured  the  geologist,  who  was  very  vain 


74  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

of  his  country,  and  was  extremely  pleasing  to  the  countess, 
who  despised  France. 

"  You  are  right,"  she. said,  "  and  I  do  not  understand 
why  your  uncle  should  not  have  had  you  educated  in  your 
own  country,  where  the  position  of  students  is  so  for- 
tunate and  honorable." 

"He wished  me  to  speak  the  foreign  languages  with 
facility,"  replied  Cristiano,  saying  the  first  thing  that  oc- 
curred to  him,  "  but  he  need  not  have  sent  me  so  far  upon 
that  account ;  for  you  speak  French  here,  I  find,  as  well 
as  they  do  in  France." 

"  We  are  much  obliged  to  you  for  your  politeness," 
said  the  countess,  "  but  you  are  flattering  us.  We  do 
not  speak  it  as  well  as  you  do,  probably,  and  our  Italian 
is  still  worse  —  although  every  one  who  is  carefully  edu- 
cated studies  it.  You  must  talk  Italian  with  my  niece, 
and,  if  she  makes  mistakes,  laugh  at  her  well.  But  why 
is  M.  Goefle  so  anxious  about  the  modern  languages? 
Does  he  intend  you  for  a  diplomat  ?  " 

"  Perhaps,  madame  ;  I  am  not  yet  fully  aware  of  his 
intentions." 

"  Fie  !  Fie  !     Pooh  !  "  cried  the  geologist. 

"  Softly,  dear  professor,"  resumed  the  countess  ;  "  there 
is  a  great  deal  to  be  said  on  that  side  too.  All  careers 
are  desirable  for  those  who  know  how  to  make  them  so." 

"  If  you,  madame,  will  condescend  to  advise  me,  I  shall 
esteem  it  a  privilege  to  be  indebted  to  you  for  a  valuable 
suggestion." 

"  It  will  give  me  pleasure  to  do  so,"  she  replied,  with 
an  affectation  of  genial  amiability ;  "  and  I  feel  all  the 
more  interest  in  you,  because  you  have  all  the  qualities  to 
insure  success.  Come  with  us  to  the  dancing-hall.  I 
want  my  niece  to  dance  at  least  one  minuet ;  it  is  not 
fatiguing,  and  she  is  very  perverse  to  refuse.  Do  you 
hear,  Margaret?  You  must  do  like  every  one  else  !  " 

"But,  aunt,"  said  Margaret,  "every  one  has  not  a 
sprained  ankle." 

"  In  society,  my  child  (I  am  saying  this,  Monsieur 
Goefle,  for  your  benefit  as  well),  you  must  never  let  any- 
thing prevent  you  from  being  agreeable  or  useful.  Re- 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


75 


member  one  thing :  no  one  fails  to  fulfil  his  destiny  but 
through  his  own  fault.  You  must  have  a  will  of  iron  ; 
you  must  be  superior  to  cold  and  heat,  hunger  and  thirst, 
great  suiferings  as  well  as  little  pains.  The  world  is  not, 
as  young  people  imagine,  a  fairy  palace,  where  you  live 
for  enjoyment.  It  is,  on  the  contrary,  a  place  of  trial, 
where  you  will  have  to  conquer  all  your  wants,  all  your 
desires,  all  your  repugnances,  with  real  stoicism  ; — that 
is,  if  you  have  an  aim  in  life,  and  if  you  have  not  you  are 
a  very  weak  person.  Ask  your  lover,  Margaret,  whether 
he  thinks  of  his  little  comforts  when  he  descends  into  an 
abyss  to  seek  that  which  is  the  aim  of  his  life.  Very 
well ;  under  the  domes  of  palaces,  as  well  as  in  the  caverns 
of  mines,  there  are  horrors  to  be  braved.  That  of  dancing 
with  a  slight  pain  in  your  ankle  is  a  very  little  thing  in 
comparison  with  what  is  before  you.  Come  along  ;  get 
up  and  come  !  " 

Margaret  could  not  help  looking  piteously  at  Cristiano, 
as  much  as  to  say  : 

"You  see,  I  shall  never  be  as  strong  as  she  is." 

"Shall  I  offer  my  arm  to  Countess  Margaret?"  said 
Cristiano  to  the  imperious  aunt ;  "she  is  really  limping." 

"  No,  no  ;  it  is  nothing  but  caprice  !  You  will  see  that 
she  will  stop  limping  soon  enough,  for  it  is  very  awkward. 
Come,  Margaret,  give  your  arm  to  M.  Stangstadius,  and 
go  before  us ;  we  want  to  see  which  of  you  limps  the 
most." 

"What's  that?  What's  that?"  cried  the  professor; 
"  I  don't  limp  at  all,  when  I'm  careful.  If  I  choose  I  can 
walk  ten  times  straighter  and  faster  than  the  best  pedes- 
trians. I  only  wish  you  could  see  me  up  in  the  moun- 
tains, proving  to  the  lazy  guides  that  one  can  do  whatever 
he  wishes  !  " 

As  he  spoke,  M.  Stangstadius  began  to  walk  very  rap- 
idly, but  with  such  a  vigorous  elevation  of  his  misshapen 
person  at  every  alternate  step,  that  poor  Margaret  was  al- 
most lifted  bodily  off  the  floor. 

"  Give  me  your  arm,"  said  Countess  Elfride  to  Cris- 
tiano ;  "  not  that  I  care  for  an  escort,  or  require  any  as- 
sistance, but  because  I  wish  to  speak  to  you." 


76  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

Cristiano  obeyed,  and  the  countess,  who  both  walked 
and  talked  rapidly,  added  : 

"  Your  uncle  lias  told  you,  I  suppose,  that  I  wish  to 
marry  my  niece  to  the  Baron  de  Waldemora?  " 

"  Yes,  madame,  he  told  me  so  — this  evening." 

"This  evening?  Has  he  arrived?  I  did  not  know 
that  lie  was  here  !  " 

"  lie  could  not  find  a  room  at  the  chateau,  no  doubt, 
and  he  is  stopping  at  Stollborg." 

"What!  In  that  den  of  evil  spirits?  Well!  he  will 
be  in  good  company  !  But  isn't  he  coming  to  the  ball?" 

*'  I  hope  not !  "  replied  Cristiano,  thoughtlessly. 

"  You  hope  not !  " 

"  J  say  so  because  of  his  gout,  which  requires  perfect 
repose." 

"  Indeed  !  Has  he  the  gout?  What  a  trial  to  such  a 
brisk,  active  man  !  He  never  had  it  before,  and  imagined 
that  he  was  always  going  to  escape." 

"  It  is  quite  recent  —  the  attack  came  on  only  a  few 
days  ago.  He  sent  me  here  in  his  place  to  present  his 
compliments  to  you,  and  receive  your  commands,  which 
I  will  communicate  to  him  as  soon  as  he  wakes  in  the 
morning." 

"  Very  well,  then,  you  can  tell  him  what  I  say.  This 
is  a  matter  that  I  make  no  sort  of  mystery  about.  I 
have  noticed  that,  when  you  proclaim  your  plans  boldly, 
they  are  already  half  accomplished.  It  is  my  wish,  there- 
fore, to  marry  my  niece  to  the  baron.  You  will  tell  me, 
perhaps,  that  he  is  not  young ;  for  that  very  reason  he 
has  no  time  to  lose  in  frustrating  the  schemes  of  a 
dozen  heirs  whom  he  detests,  and  who  are  trying  in 
vain  to  worm  their  way  into  his  favor.  Stay,  there  are 
two  of  them  passing  now ;  the  one  this  way  is  the 
Count  de  Nora,  an  inoffensive,  good-natured  man  ;  the 
other,  the  Baron  de  Lindenwald,  is  intelligent,  designing, 
ambitious,  and  (like  all  of  our  nobility  at  present)  poor. 
Barou  Olaus  is  a  happy  exception,  because  he  has  no 
brothers.  Now,  what  I  want  you  to  understand  —  you 
and  your  uncle  as  well — is,  that  the  baron  looks  with  a 
favorable  eye  upon  my  niece,  and  that  she  dislikes  him. 


THE   SNOW  MAN.  77 

This  does  not  discourage  me  at  all.  My  niece  is  a 
child,  and-  will  submit.  Since  my  resolution  is  known, 
no  one  will  venture  to  pay  court  to  him,  and  I  will  take 
care  of  her.  Your  uncle  must  undertake  to  bring  the 
baron  to  a  determination,  and  he  can  do  it  easily." 

"  If  the  countess  will  condescend  to  give  me  her  in- 
structions — " 

"You  shall  have  them  in  two  words:  my  niece  loves 
the  baron ! " 

"Really?" 

"What!  You  do  not  understand?  An  aspirant  in 
diplomacy ! " 

"Ah!  of  course  ; — excuse  me,  madame  —  Countess 
Margaret  is  reputed  to  love  the  baron,  although  she  de- 
tests him,  and  —  " 

"  The  barou  must  believe  that  he  is  loved?" 

"  And  it  is  Monsieur  Goefle  who  must  make  him  think 
so?" 

"He  alone.  The  baron  is  very  suspicious ;  I  have 
known  him  of  old  ;  I  could  not  persuade  him.  He  would 
suppose  that  I  was  interested." 

"  Which  is  not  the  case,"  said  Cristiauo,  smiling. 

"  Which  is  the  case  !  —  for  my  niece.  Ought  I  not  to 
be  so?" 

"  Assuredly ;  but  will  M.  Goefle  lend  himself  to  this 
slight  exaggeration  ?  " 

"A  lawyer  hesitate  to  embellish  the  truth  a  little? 
Nonsense  !  When  your  dear  uncle  has  a  suit  to  gain  he 
is  not  so  scrupulous  ! " 

"  No  doubt ;  but  will  the  baron  believe  him?" 

"  He  will  believe  whatever  M.  Goefle  tells  him.  Ac- 
cording to  him,  he  is  the  only  sincere  man  alive." 

"  The  baron,  then,  wishes  to  be  loved  for  himself?  " 

"  Yes,  he  has  that  fancy." 

"  If  he  loves  Countess  Margaret  he  will  find  it  easy  to 
deceive  himself." 

"  Loves  her?  Do  you  suppose  any  one  falls  in  love 
when  they  have  reached  his  age?  That  has  nothing  to 
do  with  it.  The  baron  is  a  man  of  serious  character,  who 
wishes  to  marry  for  the  sake  of  leaving  an  heir,  having 


yg  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

lost  his  son  five  years  ago.  If  his  wife  is  pretty,  and  of 
good  family,  he  will  be  satisfied,  and  his  only  request  of 
her  will  be  not  to  make  him  ridiculous.  Now  he  runs  no 
risks  with  my  niece  ;  she  is  a  girl  of  good  principles,  and, 
whether  contented  or  not,  she  will  never  forget  her  dig- 
nity. You  can  tell  your  uncle  so,  to  set  his  doubts  at 
rest.  Tell  him,  also,  that  he  can  rely  upon  my  gratitude, 
which,  as  he  knows,  is  not  to  be  despised.  In  my  posi- 
tion I  can  reward  slight  services  with  important  ones ; 
and,  to  begin  with,  what  would  he  like  for  you?  "What 
would  you  like  for  yourself?  Do  you  want  to  be  attache 
at  once,  and  on  a  good  footing  with  the  Russian  embassy  ? 
I  have  only  to  say  the  word.  The  ambassador  is  here." 

"  God  forbid  !  "  said  Cristiano,  who  detested  Russia. 

He  recovered  himself  quickly,  and  not  wishing  to 
have  a  misunderstanding  with  the  countess  too  soon, 
finished  his  sentence  thus  : 

"God  forbid  that  I'should  ever  forget  your  goodness  ! 
I  will  do  all  in  my  power  to  deserve  it." 

"Very  well,  begin  at  once." 

"  Shall  I  go  over  to  Stollborg  and  wake  up  my 
uncle?" 

"  No  ;  keep  near  my  niece,  and  talk  to  her  from  time 
to  time  in  the  course  of  the  evening.  Take  advantage 
of  the  opportunity  to  eulogize  the  baron." 

"But  I  do  not  know  him." 

"You  have  seen  him,  that  is  enough.  You  can  speak 
as  if  you  had  been  struck  by  his  fine  manner  and  noble 
figure." 

"I  should  be  quite  at  your  service  if  I  had  seen 
him  ;  but  —  " 

"Ah!  you  have  not  yet  paid  your  respects  to  him. 
Come,  then,  and  I  will  introduce  you.  But  no,  there  is 
another  way.  Go  and  ask  Margaret  to  point  him  out 
to  you,  and  exclaim  immediately  about  the  beauty  of  his 
features  and  person.  That  will  be  simple,  spontaneous, 
and  worth  a  great  deal  more  than  a  studied  eulogy." 

"  But  why  should  my  opinion,  even  supposing  it  to 
be  sincere,  have  the  slightest  influence  with  your  niece?" 

"  In  Sweden,  any  one  who   has  travelled  has  more 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


79 


influence  than  two  or  three  ordinary  mot-tals.  And 
then,  don't  you  know  that  young  girls  don't  understand 
their  own  natures  ;  that  it  is  vanity  that  impels  them  to 
choose  their  lovers,  and  not  sympathy ;  and  that  the 
man,  consequently,  whom  they  admire  the  most,  is 
always  the  one  who  is  most  admired  by  others  ?  Stay ! 
there  is  my  niece  seated  with  some  other  young  ladies, 
who  certainly  would  be  very  glad  of  a  chance  to  win 
the  baron.  That  will  do  nicely.  I  will  leave  her  there, 
and  you  can  join  the  circle.  To  give  you  an  oppor- 
tunity to  fulfil  your  promise,  I  will  take  the  baron's  arm 
and  walk  up  and  down  in  full  view  of  this  solemn  assem- 
bly. Seize  the  right  moment." 

"But  what  will  the  baron  think  if  he  happens  to 
notice  me  ?  He  will  set  me  down  as  an  awkward  boor, 
too  ignorant  either  to  ask  any  one  to  introduce  me  to 
him,  or  to  introduce  myself." 

"Don't  trouble  yourself;  I  will  make  it  all  right. 
Besides,  the  baron  will  not  see  you ;  he  is  very  short- 
sighted, and  only  recognizes  people  by  their  voices. 
When  he  hunts  he  wears  glasses,  and  sees  perfectly 
well ;  but  he  is  still  too  much  of  an  exquisite  to  use 
them  in  society.  It  is  all  settled.  Away  with  you  !  " 

In  another  moment  Cristiano  was  passing  among  the 
groups  of  beautiful  young  ladies  who  were  reposing 
between  the  dances.  He  introduced  himself  to  one  of 
these  little  coteries  by  saying  something  polite  to  Made- 
moiselle Potin,  who  was  next  the  wall,  and  who,  poor 
girl,  was  very  much  gratified  at  his  courtesy.  Margaret 
was  delighted  to  see  him  among  the  young  men  who 
surrounded  her  companions,  and  the  latter  soon  learned 
from  her  that  he  was  "  a  young  man  of  great  prom- 
ise, nephew  of  the  celebrated  Goefle,  the  intimate 
friend  of  her  aunt."  Some  of  them  turned  up  their 
noses,  and  ihought  it  not  at  all  the  thing  that  a  plebe- 
ian should  venture  to  come  and  entertain  them,  among 
the  young  officers  of  the  indelta,*  who  generally  belonged 

*  A  standing  army,  with  an  organization  peculiar  to  Sweden, 
settled  for  life  in  each  province. 


8o  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

to  good  families  ;  but  most  of  them  welcomed  him  kindly, 
and  thought  him  charming. 

The  fact  is,  that  Cristiano,  like  a  great  many  adven- 
turers in  this  adventurous  age,  was  charming.  His  style 
of  beauty,  also — a  singular  coincidence  that  he  had 
not  thought  of  explaining  —  was  precisely  that  best  cal- 
culated to  please  in  this  country.  He  was  tall  and  well 
formed,  fair,  with  a  clear  red  and  white  complexion, 
with  dark  blue  eyes  and  strongly  marked  eyebrows,  as 
black  as  ebony,  as  were  his  long  curved  lashes  and  mag- 
nificent hair.  Moreover,  there  was  a  something  peculiar 
about  him  that  attracted  attention :  a  sort  of  foreign 
style,  a  suavity  in  his  language  and  manners  telling  of 
the  more  civilized,  or,  at  least,  the  more  artistic  circles 
to  which  he  had  belonged ;  a  lingering  perfume,  as  it 
were,  of  Italy  and  France.  As  soon  as  it  was  known 
that  he  had  been  brought  up  in  Italy,  he  was  over- 
whelmed with  questions,  to  which  he  replied  with  so 
much  good  sense,  frankness,  and  gayety,  that  after  chat- 
ting for  a  little  while,  all  these  young  madcaps  were 
crazy  about  him.  Cristiano,  although  by  no  means  a 
fop,  was  not  at  all  surprised.  He  had  been  used  to 
pleasing  in  other  days,  and  when  he  resolved  to  indulge 
once  more,  at  all  costs,  in  an  evening's  gayety.  he  knew, 
that  unless  his  success  should  be  seriously  interfered 
with  by  some  unexpected  revelation,  he  would  appear  to 
better  advantage  than  most  of  the  young  nobles  and 
officers  who  were  present. 

In  the  meanwhile,  the  little  Countess  Elfride,  who  was 
leaning,  or  rather  hanging  upon  the  arm  of  the  imposing 
Baron  Olaus,  had  passed  twice  without  catching  Cristi- 
ano's  eye.  The  third  time  she  coughed  violently,  and 
led  the  baron  up  to  Margaret,  while  Cristiano,  who  un- 
derstood, broke  away  from  the  bewildering  group  and 
fell  back,  to  observe  his  host  without  attracting  his 
attention. 

Baron  Olaus  was  a  tall,  stout  man,  and,  in  spite  of  his 
age,  was  still  very  handsome,  but  the  deadly  pallor  and 
sinister  impassibility  of  his  countenance  made  it  really 
appalling.  His  fixed  look  struck  you  like  a  blast  of 


THE   SNOW  MAN.  8 1 

icy  wiud  that  takes  the  breath  away,  and  the  expression 
of  his  face  when  he  smiled  was  extraordinarily  sad  and 
disdainful.  As  soon  us  he  spoke  to  Margaret,  Cristiano 
recognized  him  from  his  voice,  which  was  disagreeably 
harsh  and  monotonous,  as  the  very  person  who  had  been 
selling  Sweden  so  cheap  an  hour  before  in  his  confer- 
ences with  the  Russian  diplomatist.  He  recognized  him 
also  from  his  lofty  stature  and  rich  dark  dress,  which  he 
had  noticed  while  listening  to  him  doing  the  honors  of  his 
country  to  the  enemy. 

"Have  you  fully  determined  not  to  dance,  mademoi- 
selle?" said  the  disagreeable  baron  to  Margaret.  "Are 
yon  suffering  much?" 

The  countess  did  not  give  Margaret  time  to  answer. 

"  Oh,  it  is  nothing  !  "  she  said  ;  "  Margaret  will  dance 
so'on." 

She  led  the  baron  away,  after  looking  again  in  a 
domineering  manner  at  Cristiano.  Now  this  is  how  he 
obeyed  her : 

"So  that  is  Baron  Olaus  de  Waldemora?"  he  said, 
approaching  Margaret  and  Mademoiselle  Potin,  who  had 
hastened  to  join  the  young  girl  at  the  approach  of  her 
chaperone. 

"That  is  he!"  replied  Margaret,  with  a  bitter  smile. 
"What  do  you  think  of  him?" 

"  He  must  have  been  quite  handsome  thirty  years  ago." 

"That,  at  least,"  rejoined  Margaret,  with  a  sigh. 
"Did  you  like  his  face?" 

"Yes;  I  have  a  great  admiration  for  cheerful  faces. 
There  is  a  certain  gayety  about  his  — " 

"Is  it  not  frightful?" 

"What  was  that  you  said  to  my  uncle?"  said  Cris- 
tiano, sitting  down  beside  her  chair,  and  lowering  his 
voice  ;  "did  he  kill  his  sister-in-law?" 

"It  is  thought  so." 

"For  my  part,  I  am  sure  of  it." 

"Indeed!     Why?" 

"Because  he  must  have  looked  at  her  ! " 

"Oh  !     Is  it  not  true  that  he  has  the  evil  eye?  " 

"You  exaggerate  a  little,"  said  Mademoiselle  Potin, 
6 


g3  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

who  no  doubt  had  been  terrified  by  some  silent  threat  of 
Countess  Elf  ride.  "He  has  the  fixed  look  of  people 
who  do  not  see  well." 

"Just  so,"  said  Cristiano  ;  "  death  is  blind.  But  who 
gave  the  baron  the  surname  of  the  Snow  Man  ?  It 
suits  him  :  he  is  the  living  embodiment  of  a  Spitzbergen 
winter.  He  has  given  me  a  chill." 

"And  did  you  notice  his  curious  habit?"  said  Mar- 
garet. 

"  He  put  his  hand  to  his  forehead  as  if  to  wipe  off 
the  perspiration  ;  do  you  mean  that  ?  " 

"  Exactly." 

"The  Snow  Man  wants,  perhaps,  to  make  us  believe 
that  he  is  perspiring ;  but  the  simple  truth  is  that  he  is 
thawing." 

"  You  see  that  I  had  good  cause  to  be  afraid  of  him. 
And  his  black  diamond  —  did  you  notice  that?" 

"Yes,  I  noticed  the  hideous  black  diamond,  as  he 
wiped  his  forehead  with  his  fleshless  hand ;  which  forms 
such  a  singular  contrast  to  his  corpulent  figure  and 
bloated  face." 

"Whom  are  you  talking  about  so?"  said  a  young  Rus- 
sian lady,  who  had  risen  to  spread  out  her  gown  over 
her  hoop  petticoat ;  "  the  Baron  de  Waldemora?  " 

"I  was  just  about  to  say,"  said  Cristiano,  without 
being  disconcerted,  "  that  that  worthy  man  has  not 
three  months  to  live." 

"Oh,  then,"  cried  the  Russian,  laughing,  "you  must 
make  haste  to  marry  him,  Margaret !  " 

"Keep  your  advice  for  yourself,  Olga,"  replied  the 
young  countess. 

"Alas!  I  have  not,  like  you,  an  aunt  who  carries 
everything  before  her  !  But  what  makes  you  think,  M. 
Goefle,  that  the  baron  is  so  ill  ?  " 

"  From  the  unhealthy  disproportion  of  his  figure,  from 
the  yellow  white  of  his  glassy  eyes,  from  the  pinched-in 
look  at  the  base  of  his  hooked  nose,  and,  above  all, 
from  an  indefinable  feeling  that  came  over  me  as  soon 
as  I  saw  him." 


THE   SNOW  MAN.  83 

"  Indeed  !  Are  you  gifted  with  the  second  sight,  like 
the  people  in- the  north  of  this  country?" 

"I  don't  know  anything  about  that.  I  don't  consider 
myself  a  sorcerer ;  but  I  am  quite  satisfied  that  some 
organizations  are  more  or  less  sensitive  to  certain  myste- 
rious influences,  and  I  answer  for  it  that  the  baron  has 
not  long  to  live." 

"I  think,"  said  Margaret,  "that  he  has  been  dead 
already  for  a  long  time  ;  and  that  it  is  only  by  means  of 
some  diabolical  secret  that  he  succeeds  in  passing  him- 
self off  for  a  living  man." 

"It  is  true  that  he  looks  like  a  spectre,"  said  Olga; 
"  but  no  matter,  he  is  handsome  in  spite  of  his  age,  and 
he  has  a  strange  power  of  fascination.  I  dreamed 
about  him  all  last  night.  I  was  frightened,  and  yet  it 
was  a  pleasant  fear.  Can  you  explain  that  ?  " 

"It  is  perfectly  simple,"  replied  Margaret,  "the 
baron  is  a  famous  alchemist ;  he  knows  how  to  make 
diamonds.  Now  you  told  us  this  morning  that  you 
would  sign  a  compact  with  the  devil  for  diamonds." 

"  You  are  wicked,  Margaret !  Suppose  I  should  tell 
others  how  you  talk  about  the  baron,  and  it  should  come 
to  his  ears ;  you  would  be  vexed  enough,  I  wager." 

"Do  you  think  so,  Monsieur  Goefle?"  said  Margaret 
to  Cristiano. 

"No,"  he  replied.  "Why  should  angels  care  for 
diamonds  ?  have  they  not  the  stars  ?  " 

Margaret  blushed,  and  turned  to  the  young  Russian  : 
"My  dear  Olga,"  she  said,  "I  implore  you  tell  the 
baron  yourself  that  I  cannot  endure  him.  You  will  be 
doing  me  a  great  service.  Stay  !  I  will  prove  my  grat- 
itude. There  is  the  bracelet  that  you  wanted  so  much  ! 
Make  a  quarrel  between  me  and  the  baron,  and  I  will 
agree  to  give  it  to  you." 

"  Oh,  dear  me  !  but  what  will  your  aunt  say?" 
"  I  will  tell  her  that  I  have  lost  it,  and  you  must  not 
wear  it  while  you  are  here  —  no  questions  will  be  asked. 
See,  the  baron  is  returning !  They  are  going  to  dance 
another  minuet,  and  he  is  coming  to  invite  me  ;  but  I 
shall  refuse.  My  aunt  is  talking  politics  with  the  Rus- 


84  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

sian  ambassador,  and  will  not  see  me.  Stay  by  me,  and 
he  will  have  to  ask  you." 

In  fact,  the  baron  came  forward,  and  renewed  his 
invitation  with  a  sepulchral  grace.  Margaret  trembled 
in  every  limb  when  he  held  out  his  hand  to  take  hers. 

"Countess  Elveda  informs  me,"  he  said,  "that  you 
would  like  to  dance  now,  and  I  am  going  to  have  another 
minuet  for  you." 

Margaret  arose,  took  a  step  forward,  and  fell  back  in 
her  chair. 

"  I  should  be  glad  to  obey  my  aunt,"  she  said  firmly, 
"but  you  see,  baron,  that  I  cannot,  and  I  do  not  suppose 
that  you  want  to  torture  me." 

The  baron  started.  lie  was  a  man  of  intelligence, 
perfectly  well-bred,  and  excessively  suspicious.  The 
countess  had  not  deceived  him  so  effectually  that  he  was 
not  capable  of  understanding  the  slightest  hint,  and  Mar- 
garet's aversion  was  too  evident  to  be  mistaken.  He 
smiled  bitterly,  and  replied  with  sarcastic  courtesy  : 

"  You  are  a  thousand  times  too  good,  mademoiselle, 
and  I  trust  you  will  believe  that  I  feel  your  kindness 
deeply." 

He  turned  immediately  to  Olga,  invited  her,  and  led 
her  away  ;  while  Margaret  snatched  the  elegant  bracelet 
from  her  arm,  and  slipped  it  into  the  ambitious  young 
creature's  hand. 

"  Monsieur  Goefle,"  she  said  to  Cristiano,  eagerly, 
although  with  a  trembling  voice,  "  you  have  brought  me 
happiness.  I  am  saved  !  " 

"  And  yet  you  are  pale,"  said  Cristiano  ;  "  you  are 
trembling." 

"  I  cannot  help  it !  I  was  so  frightened.  And  I  am 
frightened  still,  for  I  cannot  help  thinking  how  angry  my 
aunt  will  be.  But  no  matter,  I  have  got  rid  of  the  baron. 
He  will  revenge  himself;  he  will  kill  me,  perhaps.  But 
I  shall  not  be  his  wife  ;  I  shall  not  bear  his  name.  I 
shall  never  touch  his  blood-stained  hand." 

u  Be  quiet,  for  heaven's  sake  be  quiet !  "  said  Mad- 
emoiselle Potiu,  who  was  as  pale  and  frightened  as  herself; 
"  some  oiie  may  hear  you.  You  have  been  very  brave, 


THE   SNOW  MAN.  85 

and  I  congratulate  you.  But  you  are  really  timid,  and 
all  this  excitement  will  make  you  ill.  Mon  Dieu ! 
don't  faint,  my  dear  child.  Take  your  smelling-bottle." 

"  Don't  be  afraid,  my  good  friend,"  replied  Margaret, 
"  I  have  recovered.  Did  any  one  around  see  what  hap- 
pened ?  I  am  afraid  to  look." 

"  No,  God  be  praised !  The  noise  of  the  orchestra, 
which  had  just  begun  playing,  drowned  every  other  sound, 
and  your  young  friends  were  hurrying  away  to  the  dance. 
We  are  almost  alone  in  this  corner.  Don't  stay  here 
and  attract  attention.  Above  all  things,  avoid  having  a 
scene  with  your  aunt  while  you  are  so  excited.  Come 
with  me  to  your  room  ;  give  me  your  arm." 

"  And  shall  I  not  see  you  again?"  said  Cristiano, 
with  an  emotion  that  he  could  not  control. 

"  Yes,  surely,"  replied  Margaret,  "I  want  to  speak  to 
you  again.  In  an  hour  vou  will  find  us — " 

"  Where  shall  I  find  you  ?" 

"  I  don't  know.     Oh  yes  !   in  the  supper-room." 

As  Margaret  withdrew,  Cristiano  left  the  hall  by  an- 
other door,  and  began  to  look  for  the  place  of  rendezvous, 
so  that  he  might  be  there  promptly  at  the  appointed  hour. 
Besides,  he  had  been  suffering  from  hunger  ever  since  he 
came  to  the  ball,  in  spite  of  his  interesting  adventures, 
and  the  word  supper-room  aroused  his  appetite  to  full 
activity. 

"  If  no  one  is  there,"  he  said  to  himself,  "  I  shall  make 
terrible  inroad  into  the  provisions  of  my  lord  baron." 

While  he  is  proceeding  towards  this  sanctuary,  let  us 
see  what  was  taking  place  in  the  drawing-room. 


IV. 

'TPHE  baron  was  certainly  not  fond  of  dancing,  and  his 
-*•  corpulence  wks  by  no  means  calculated  to  help  him 
cut  pigeon-wings ;  but  in  the  "•  court-dances "  which 
were  usual  at  that  period  it  was.  customary,  and  con- 
sidered the  proper  thing  to  do,  for  even  the  gravest 


86  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

persons  to  take  a  part.  The  baron,  who  had  been  a 
widower  for  a  long  time,  had  given  scarcely  any  enter- 
tainments during  the  life  of  his  lawful  heir ;  but  when  it 
became  apparent  that  his  name  was  in  danger  of  perish- 
ing with  him,  and  that  his  titles  and  estates  would  pass 
to  a  branch  of  his  family  which  he  hated,  he  had  promptly 
resolved  to  marry  again  as  early  as  possible ;  and,  in 
choosing  a  wife,  he  had  made  up  his  mind  to  select,  not 
a  suitable  and  agreeable  companion,  for  he  felt  no  need  of 
such  a  person,  but  some  healthy  young  girl  from  wThom 
he  might  expect  children.  He  had  accordingly  furnished 
his  mansion  in  a  luxurious  style,  and  had  assembled  to- 
gether the  ladies  of  the  province,  with  the  sole  design  of 
placing  his  baronial  coronet  upon  the  head  of  the  prettiest 
among  them  who  should  be  so  kind  as  to  offer  to  wear  it. 
The  Countess  Elfride  had  thought  herself  sure  of  the 
prize,  but  her  plans  had  failed.  The  elderly  suitor 
opened  his  eyes  to  the  fact  that  he  had  been  made 
to  look  ridiculous,  and  swore  to  be  revenged  both 
upon  aunt  and  niece.  Moreover,  to  this  oath,  which 
he  registered  in  his  mind  with  such  promptitude,  he 
appended  a  firm  resolve  not  to  be  deceived  twice ;  but, 
without  admitting  the  interference  of  any  third  party,  to 
offer  himself  to  the  first  young  lady  of  good  family  who 
should  receive  him  with  a  sufficient  degree  of  cordiality. 
This  person  turned  out  to  be  Olga,  as  he  felt  convinced 
when  that  young  lady  proceeded  to  tell  him,  in  a  confi- 
dential whisper,  how  Margaret  had  made  over  to  her  all 
rigfyt,  title,  and  interest  in  his  affections.  She  confided 
this  pretty  story  to  him  with  an  assumed  air  of  innocence 
and  candor,  as  if  it  were  the  prattle  of  a  child ;  and, 
really,  she  was  a  child  in  many  respects,  though  none^he 
less  a  woman,  at  once  possessed  and  made  cunning*  by 
ambition.  The  baron,  who  was  by  no  means  wanting  in 
penetration,  kept  up  the  joke  as  if  he  saw  nothing  more 
in  it ;  but,  at  the  end  of  the  dance,  instead  of  taking  Olga 
to  her  seat,  he  offered  her  his  arm,  and  led  her  into  the 
gallery,  whose  great  extent  rendered  it  quite  suitable  for 
confidential  interviews.  There,  taking  her  burning  hands 
between  his  icy  cold  ones,  he  said  coldly  : 


THE  SNOW  MAN.  87 

"  Olga,  you  are  young  and  beautiful,  but  you  are  poor, 
and  of  too  high  rank  to  marry  a  handsome  young  fellow 
of  low  birth.  It  rests  with  you  to  turn  your  jest  into 
earnest.  I  offer  you  my  title  and  a  brilliant  position. 
Answer  me  seriously  and  without  delay,  or  otherwise  dis- 
miss this  subject  forever  from  your  mind." 

Olga  was  really  young,  beautiful,  poor,  vain,  and  am- 
bitious. She  took  time  by  the  forelock,  and  accepted  at 
once. 

"  Very  good,"  observed  Olaus,  kissing  her  hand,  "I 
thank  you.  Excuse  me  if  I  say  not  a  word  further.  I 
should  make  myself  ridiculous  if  I  should  undertake  to 
talk  to  you  about  love,  for  you  would  imagine  that  I 
think  myself  a  person  who  can  be  loved.  We  will  be 
married  —  that  is  settled  ;  and  we  both  of  us  have  deci- 
sive reasons  for  this  resolution  —  that  is  certain.  In  the 
meanwhile,  in  case  you  really  desire  this  marriage,  I  must 
request  you  to  keep  it  an  absolute  secret  for  some  days, 
above  all  from  the  Countess  Margaret  and  her  aunt. 
Can  you  promise  me  this  ?  Remember,  any  indiscretion 
would  break  off  our  engagement." 

Olga  had  too  much  at  stake  not  to  give  the  required 
promise  in  good  faith ;  and  the  baron  handed  her  back  to 
the  great  drawing-room. 

Their  absence  had  been  so  brief,  that,  even  if  observed, 
no  particular  conclusion  could  have  been  drawn  from  it. 
Yet  the  Countess  d'Elveda  felt  uneasy  at  it,  and  went  to 
find  out  what  had  become  of  her  niece. 

"  Do  not  annoy  yourself,"  remarked  Olga,  "  she  was 
here  this  very  moment." 

"She  is  hiding  herself — she  is  still  obstinate  about 
dancing." 

"By  no  means,"  said  the  baron,  "she  had  consented 
to  dance.  It  was  I  who  declined  to  take  advantage  of 
her  kindness." 

And  offering  his  arm  to  the  countess,  he  walked  away 
with  her,  explaining,  as  they  went,  that  he  did  not  wish 
any  one  to  be  constrained  to  love  him ;  that  he  was  old 
enough  to  pay  his  addresses  for  himself,  and  that  he 
begged  her  not  to  interpose  further  in  the  matter,  lest  she 


88  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

should  be  the  means  of  his  losiug  all  hope,  and  even  of 
his  giving  up  his  design  of  marrying. 

Tiie  countess  consoled  herself  for  this  reprimand,  by  the 
recollection  that  it  was  the  first  time  the  baron  had  shown 
any  decided  purpose  of  seeking  her  niece's  hand.  In- 
triguing and  perfidious  as  she  was,  she  was  this  time  the 
dupe  of  the  baron,  whose  only  object  was  to  deceive  her 
as  she  had  deceived  him. 

"It  is  astonishing,"  said  Cristiano  to  himself,  as  he  set 
out  to  find  the  supper-room,  "  to  watch  these  intriguers  in 
high  life,  to  see  how  foolish  they  are  in  their  malignity, 
and  how  easily  they  are  deceived  !  But  that  must  neces- 
sarily be  the  case  in  matters  of  that  kind,  when  one  lays 
down  the  principle,  to  begin  with,  of  absolute  contempt  fur 
the  human  species.  We  cannot  despise  others  without 
despising  ourselves.  He  who  does  not  think  well  of  the 
work  he  is  doing  is  made  impotent  by  that  very  fact.  It 
was  a  superb  piece  of  comedv  for  that  aunt  to  tell  me  so 
calmly,  '  I  have  a  niece  to  immolate  ;  help  me  about  it ; 
be  quick,  and  I  will  pay  you  by  giving  you  a  position  as 
head  valet  in  a  good  family  !  ' ' 

%  Cristiano,  however,  put  aside  his  philosophic  reflec- 
tions as  he  entered  the  room  he  was  looking  after,  which 
he  discovered  by  a  really  delicious  odor  of  venison.  It 
was  a  very  handsome  circular  room,  laid  with  small 
movable  tables,  with  a  view  of  temporarily  assuaging  im- 
patient appetites  while  waiting  for  the  grand  supper.  As 
everybody  had  done  great  honor  to  the  baron's  table  al- 
ready at  nine  o'clock,  the  room  was  empty,  except  for 
one  servant,  who  was  fast  asleep,  and  whom  Cristiano 
took  pains  not  to  waken,  lest  he  should  be  considered 
greedy  and  ill-mannered.  Without  stopping  to  select,  ho 
seized  a  plate  of  stuffed  veal  a  la  Franchise  ;  but  just  as 
he  made  a  cut  into  it  with  the  vermilion-handled  knife, 
the  servant,  startled  out  of  his  sleep,  sprang  up  as  if  he 
had  been  moved  by  springs,  and  M.  Stangstadius  bustled 
in,  rattling  the  glasses  and  crockery  with  the  jar  which  his 
uneven,  jerking  step  communicated  to  the  floor. 

"  Parlleul  It's  you,  is  it  ?"  he  called  out,  on  seeing 
Cristiano.  "  Glad  to  find  you  here  !  I  don't  like  to  eat 


THE  SNOW  MAN.  89 

alone,  and  we  can  talk  over  serious  matters  while  we  sat- 
isfy the  blind  appetites  of  these  poor  human  machines  of 
ours.  Pooh  !  you  don't  mean  to  eat  standing?  Oh  no  ! 
It's  extremely  unfavorable  to  the  digestion,  and  you  don't 
taste  what  you  eat  at  all.  Here,  Karl,  draw  out  that 
table  —  the  largest.  Very  good.  Now  then,  give  us 
some  of  the  best,  there  is.  How?  Side-dishes?  No, 
not  yet.  Something  more  solid  ;  some  good  slices  of  that 
sirloin.  After  that  you  can  bring  the  best  cut  out  of  that 
bear's  ham.  It's  a  Norway  ham,  I  hope  ;  they  are  the 
best  smoked.  Come,  Karl,  some  wine  !  Give  us  some 
Madeira  and  Bordeaux,  and  you  may  bring  a  few  bottles 
of  champagne,  too,  for  this  young  man ;  he's  likely  to  be 
fond  of  it.  Very  well,  Karl.  That'll  do,  my  boy ;  but 
don't  go,  we  shall  want  some  dessert  very  shortly." 

While  giving  these  orders,  M.  Stangstadius  installed 
himself  with  his  back  to  the  stove,  and  applied  himself  to 
eating  and  drinking  after  so  marvellous  a  fashion,  that 
Cristiano  cast  away  all  shame,  and  began  devouring  with 
the  whole  force  of  his  thirty-two  teeth.  As  for  the  man  of 
science,  who  had  not  more  than  a  dozen,  he  manoeuvred 
them  so  ably  that  he  was  not  a  whit  behindhand,  while  all 
the  while  he  continued  talking  and  gesticulating  with  won- 
derful energy.  Cristiano,  astonished,  inwardly  compared 
him  to  some  fantastic  monster,  half  crocodile  and  half  ape  ; 
and  asked  himself  where  could  be  the  seat  of  this  terri- 
ble vitality  in  a  body  so  misshapen,  apparently  so  feeble, 
and  with  diverging  eyes  incessantly  moving,  but  with  no 
expression  whatever. 

The  conversation  of  the  geologist  soon  did  something  to 
help  solve  the  problem.'  The  worthy  gentleman  had  never 
loved  a  human  being,  nor  even  so  much  as  a  dog.  Every- 
thing was  perfectly  indifferent  to  him  beyond  the  circle 
of  ideas  in  which  he  lived,  so  to  speak,  on  himself;  taking 
his  own  pleasure,  admiring  himself,  flattering  himself, 
and,  in  default  of  better  material,  finding  nourishment 
in  the  perfumes  of  his  own  self-praise. 

Cristiano  felicitated  him  upon  his  magnificent  health. 

"  Do  you  see,  my  dear  fellow,"  he  replied,  "  when  God 
made  me  he  came  to  a  full  stop.  I  swear  to  you  he  could 


90  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

not  have  produced  such  another  !  I  know  nothing  of  the 
sufferings  that  others  feel.  To  begin  with,  I  have  never 
known  the  vulgar  and  despicable  infirmity  of  love.  I 
never  wasted  one  minute  in  my  life  in  forgetting  myself 
for  one  of  those  pretty  dolls  that  you  make  idols  of.  A 
woman  may  be  eighty  or  eighteen  —  it's  exactly  the  same 
to  me.  When  I  am  hungry,  if  I  am  in  a  hovel,  I  eat 
whatever  I  can  find,  and  if  I  find  nothing,  I  occupy  my- 
self in  thinking  over  my  works  ;  and  I  wait,  without  any 
uneasiness.  If  I  am  at  a  good  table,  I  eat  everything 
there  is  on  it,  and  without  feeling  any  inconvenience.  I 
feel  neither  cold  nor  heat.  My  head  is  always  burning, 
it  is  true  ;  but  it  is  with  a  sublime  fire  that  does  not  con- 
sume the  mechanism,  but,  on  the  contrary,  nourishes  and 
repairs  it.  I  know  neither  hate  nor  envy.  I  am  per- 
fectly aware  that  no  one  knows  more  than  I ;  and  as  to 
those  who  are  jealous  of  me  —  there  are  a  vast  many  of 
them  —  I  crush  them  like  the  worms  of  the  dust.  They 
never  recover  after  a  criticism  from  me.  In  short,  I  am 
made  of  steel,  gold,  and  diamond ;  I  defy  the  entrails  of 
the  whole  earth  to  supply  a  material  more  impassible  or 
more  precious  than  that  of  which  I  am  made." 

At  this  comprehensive  and  frank  declaration  Cristiano 
could  not  help  an  immoderate  explosion  of  laughter, 
which,  however,  did  not  at  all  disconcert  or  offend  the 
Chevalier  of  the  Polar  Star.  On  the  contrary,  he  took 
this  hilarity  to  be  a  joyous  homage  to  his  own  imiversal 
superiority ;  so  that  Cristiano  perceived  that  his  com- 
panion was,  in  some  sense,  a  monomaniac  of  a  curious 
species,  whose  infirmity  might  be  defined  as  lunacy  from 
excess  of  self-conceit.  Cristiano  questioned  him  in  vain 
about  such  persons  as  interested  him.  As  to  the  Baron 
de  Waldemora,  M.  Stangstadius  would  only  condescend 
to  say  that  he  had  some  aspirations  towards  science,  but 
that,  on  the  whole,  he  was  simply  an  idiot.  Margaret  he 
set  down  as  stupid  for  not  accepting  the  first  rich  match 
that  came  along.  He  did,  it  is  true,  spare  her  a  little, 
admitting  that  she  must  be  more  amiable  than  the  rest  of 
them,  since  she  was  in  love  with  him.  This  he  thought 
a  proof  of  good  sense,  but  he  found  it  impossible  to  profit 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


91 


by  this  disposition  of  hers,  since  science  was  his  wife  and 
mistress  at  the  same  time. 

"  Really,  Mr.  Professor,"  said  Cristiano,  "you  seem  to 
be  admirably  consistent  in  this  wonderful  logical  system 
of  yours." 

"Ah  !  I'll  answer  for  that,"  replied  M.  Stangstadius  ; 
"  I'm  a  different  sort  of  man  from  your  Baron  Olaus, 
whom  fools  admire  for  his  strength  of  will  and  coolness  ! " 

"  My  baron?  I  assure  you  that  I  want  nothing  to  do 
with  him." 

"  For  my  part  I  speak  neither  well  nor  ill  of  him,"  re- 
turned the  professor ;  "  all  men  are  poor  creatures,  more 
or  less  ;  but  does  he  not  pretend  to  be  a  free-thinker,  and 
to  have  never  loved?" 

"Could  he  have  ever  really  loved  any  one?  If  he 
could,  his  face  is  extremely  deceptive." 

"  I  don't  know  but  he  may  have  loved  his  wife,  while 
she  lived.  She  was  a  malignant  she-devil." 

"  Perhaps,  then,  he  admired  her." 

"  I'm  sure  I  don't  know.  She  managed  him,  however, 
as  she  chose  ;  and  after  she  was  dead,  he  could  not  en- 
dure to  be  without  her,  and  so  he  came  to  engage  me  to 
calcine  and  crystallize  her  ladyship,  the  baroness." 

"  Ah  !  then  the  famous  black  diamond  is  your  work  ?  " 

"You  have  seen  it,  then  !  Is  it  not  a  capital  result  of 
experiment !  The  lapidary  who  cut  it  was  in  perfect  de- 
spair at  not  being  able  to  discover  whether  it  was  the  work 
of  nature  or  of  art.  But  I  must  tell  you  the  method  I 
pursued,  and  how  I  secured  its  transparency.  I  took  my 
body  and  wrapped  it  in  asbestos  cloth,  after  the  manner 
of  the  ancients,  and  placed  it  over  an  extremely  hot  fire 
of  wood,  coal,  and  bitumen,  the  whole  well  sprinkled  with 
naphtha.  When  my  body  was  thoroughly  reduced  — " 

Cristiano,  finding  himself  condemned  to  undergo  the 
history  of  the  reduction  and  vitrification  of  the  baroness, 
set  about  eating  as  fast  as  he  could,  and  tried  not  to 
hear  ;  but  he  had  perfectly  stuffed  himself  before  the  pro- 
fessor had  ended  his  demonstration.  This  meeting  was 
a  sad  disappointment  to  Cristiano,  who  had  hoped  for  an 
interview  with  only  Margaret  and  her  governess.  And 


92  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

he  became  more  dissatisfied  still,  as  a  group  of  young 
officers  of  the  indelta  invaded  the  hall. 

These  northern  stomachs  were  far  from  being  satisfied 
with  the  refreshments  and  cooling  beverages  provided  in 
the  ball-room,  and  so  they  came  hither  to  warm  their 
blood  a  little  with  good  Spanish  and  French  wine ;  and 
Cristiano  observed  with  interest  something  peculiar  in  the 
Avay  in  which  these  men  of  the  north  drank  their  wine, 
and  which  he  had  never  been  able  to  notice  to  so  good 
advantage.  He  began,  moreover,  to  see  something  a 
little  rude  in  their  manners,  and  a  rather  rougher  style  of 
gaycty  than  he  found  himself  quite  able  to  join  in.  But 
to  make  amends,  the  free-heartedness  and  cordiality  of 
the  young  men  were  such  as  he  entirely  sympathized 
with.  They  all  greeted  him  with  eager  kindness,  and 
insisted  on  his  drinking  with  them,  until  he  found  his 
head  beginning  to  feel  the  liquor.  He  therefore  stopped, 
fearing  to  go  too  far,  but  admiring  the  ease  with  which 
these  robust  sons  of  the  mountains  went  straight  on 
drinking  the  heady  wine,  without  apparently  feeling  it  at 
all. 

As  soon  as  he  could  disengage  himself  from  their 
friendly  challenges,  he  took  up  a  position  near  the  door, 
in  order  to  go  out  whenever  he  should  perceive  Margaret 
in  the  gallery  outside.  He  supposed  that  when  she  saw 
the  room  full  of  young  men  drinking  she  would  not  go  in. 
She  however  did  go  in,  notwithstanding,  and  in  a  few 
moments  was  followed  by  other  young  ladies  and  their 
cavaliers,  who  took  seats  at  different  tables,  those  already 
sitting  there  hastening  to  give  them  places,  and  to  wait 
upon  them.  And  now  the  mirth  began  to  be  louder  and 
more  enthusiastic.  They  forgot  to  imitate  Versailles  ; 
they  talked  Swedish,  and  even  Dalecarliau  :  the  voices 
grew  loud ;  the  young  ladies  drank  champagne  without 
making  any  faces  over  it,  and  even  took  Cyprus  wine  and 
port,  without  any  fear  of  the  consequences.  There  were 
present  brothers  and  sisters,  betrothed  lovers,  and  cousins. 
It  was  like  one  numerous  family ;  and  the  sexes  mingled 
with  a  freedom  which  wa.s  innocent,  warm-hearted,  per- 


THE   SNOW  MAN, 


93 


haps  a  little  inelegant,  but,  on  the  whole,  touching,  from 
iis  chastity  and  simplicity. 

"What  good  souls  they  are!"  thought  Crisliano. 
"  What  the  devil  is  the  reason  that  as  soon  as  they  begiu 
to  think  about  themselves  they  attitudinize  as  Russians  or 
French,  when  they  appear  to  so  much  better  advantage  in 
their  own  natural  character?" 

The  peculiar  charm  of  the  little  Countess  Margaret 
Avas  exactly  that  she  was  herself  in  whatever  circumstan- 
ces. Mademoiselle  Potiu  had  certainly  formed  her  most 
judiciously,  in  thus  preserving  her  natural  and  sponta- 
neous. And  what  Cristiauo  found  especially  agreeable 
in  her  was,  that  she  declined  wine.  Cristiano  had  some 
prejudices. 

While  the  rest  were  all  chattering  and  laughing  around 
Stangstadius,  —  whose  table,  always  in  the  same  place,  and 
always  copiously  served,  became  the  centre  and  target  of 
witticisms,  by  which  he  was  not  at  all  disconcerted, —  Mar- 
garet found  an  opportunity  of  telling  Cristiano  in  a  con- 
fidential manner,  which,  as  may  be  imagined,  did  not 
displease  him,  that  her  aunt  had  quite  changed  her  de- 
meanor to  her,  and,  instead  of  finding  fault,  had  become 
very  good-natured. 

"  It  must  be,"  she  said,  "  that  the  baron  has  not  men- 
tioned my  discourtesy  ;  or  else  she  knows  of  it,  but  means 
to  try  a  different  way  to  bring  me  into  her  plans.  At 
any  rate,  I  have  a  breathing-time.  The  bai'on  is  not  at- 
tentive to  me  any  more  ;  and  even  if  I  am  to  be  scolded 
again  by  my  aunt  to-morrow,  or  sent  back  for  penance  to 
my- solitude  at  Dalby,  I  mean  to  enjoy  myself  to-night, 
and  forget  all  my  vexations.  Yes,  I  intend  to  dance  as 
gayly  as  I  can ;  for,  if  you  will  believe  it,  Monsieur 
Goefle,  this  is  the  first  ball  I  ever  attended  in  my  life  ;  the 
first  time  I  ever  danced  anywhere,  except  in  my  own 
room,  with  my  good  Pot  in.  I  am  positively  dying  to  try 
my  little  accomplishments  in  public  ;  and  I  am  frightened 
to  death,  at  the  same  time,  for  fear  of  being  awkward, 
and  getting  out  in  the  figures  of  the  French  quadrille. 
I  must  find  some  obliging  partner  who  will  help  me 


94  THE  SNO  W  MAN. 

through,  and  look  after  me  a  little,  so  as  to  tell  me  all 
my  mistakes  in  a  charitable  way." 

"  I  believe  it  will  not  be  difficult  to  find  him,"  replied 
Cristiano  ;  "  and  if  you  will  venture  to  trust  yourself  to 
me,  I  guarantee  that  you  shall  dance  as  if  you  were  at 
your  hundredth  ball." 

"  Well,  then,  agreed.  I  accept,  with  thanks.  Let  us 
wait  till  twelve  o'clock.  We  will  make  up  a  little  separ- 
ate ball  all  by  ourselves,  with  these  ladies  and  gentlemen 
here,  at  one  end  of  the  gallery.  Then,  perhaps,  my  aunt, 
who  is  dancing  in  the  grand  saloon  with  all  the  great  peo- 
ple, will  not  see  how  suddenly  my  sprain  has  got  well." 

Cristiano  now  began  a  brisk  conversation  with  the 
young  lady  ;  and,  being  a  little  stimulated  by  the  cham- 
pagne, his  gayety  was  gradually  taking  on  a  sentimental 
complexion,  when  a  name,  pronounced  aloud  close  to 
him,  made  him  start  and  turn  around  suddenly. 

"  Christian  Waldo  ! "  said  a  young  officer,  with  an  open 
and  good-natured  face;  "who  has  seen  him?  where  is 
he?" 

"  To  be  sure  !  "  cried  Cristiano,  jumping  up.  "  Where 
is  Christian  Waldo  ?  Who  has  seen  him  ?  " 

"Nobody,"  answered  some  one  from  another  table. 
"  Who  has  ever  seen  Christian  Waldo's  face,  and  who  will 
ever  see  it  ?  " 

"You  have  never  seen  it,  have  you,  Monsieur  Goefle  ?" 
asked  Margaret  of  Cristiano.  "  You  do  not  know  him  ?  " 

"  No.  But  who  is  Christian  Waldo,  and  how  is  it  that 
it  is  impossible  to  see  his  face  ? " 

"You  must  have  heard  him  spoken  of  though,  for  .his 
name  seemed  to  strike  you." 

"  Yes,  because  I  remember  having  heard  it  at  Stock- 
holm ;  but  I  did  not  pay  much  attention  to  it,  and  I  do 
not  even  remember  —  " 

"  Come,  major,"  said  a  young  lieutenant,  "  since  you 
know  this  Waldo,  tell  us  who  he  is,  and  what  he  does. 
I  do  not  know  anything  about  him." 

"  Major  Larrson  knows  a  great  deal  if  he  can  do  that," 
said  Margaret.  "  For  my  part,  I  have  heard  so  many 
different  things  said  about  Christian  Waldo,  that  I  prom- 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


95 


ise  beforehand  not  to  believe  a  word  of  anything  that  is 
going  to  be  told." 

"  But,"  replied  the  major,  "I  am  ready  to  make  oath, 
upon  my  honor,  that  I  say  nothing  about  him  except 
what  I  absolutely  know.  Christian  Waldo  is  an  Italian 
comedian,  who  travels  about  from  one  town  to  another, 
amusing  people  by  his  good-natured  wit  and  inexhaustible 
gayety.  His  exhibition  consists  —  " 

"  We  know  that,"  interrupted  Margaret,  "  and  we 
know  that  he  gives  his  representations  sometimes  in 
drawing-rooms  and  sometimes  in  taverns  ;  to-day  in  a 
castle,  and  to-morrow  in  a  hovel ;  and  that  he  makes  the 
rich  pay  high  prices,  while  he  often  exhibits  to  the  poor 
for  nothing." 

"  An  absurd  original  enough,"  said  Cristiano  ;  "a  kind 
of  mountebank." 

"Mountebank  or  not,  he  is  an  extraordinary  man," 
replied  the  major,  "  and  a  man  of  genuine  nobility  of 
character,  too,  which  is  more !  Last  month,  at  Stock- 
holm, I  myself  saw  him  fight  three  furious  drunken 
sailors,  one  of  whom  had  been  cruelly  abusing  a  poor 
cabin-boy,  when  Christian  Waldo,  indignant  at  the  cow- 
ardly outrage,  rescued  his  victim.  On  another  occa- 
sion, this  Christian  threw  himself  into  the  midst  of 
a  fire  to'  save  an  old  woman ;  and  every  day  he  gave 
away  almost  all  he  received  to  persons  who  excited  his 
pity.  Indeed,  it  was  said  that  the  people  of  the  suburbs 
were  so  enthusiastic  about  him,  that  he  had  to  leave 
secretly  in  order  to  avoid  being  carried  in  a  triumphal 
procession." 

"And  also,"  observed  Margaret,  "to  avoid  being 
obliged  to  remove  his  mask ;  for  the  authorities  began  to 
feel  uneasy  about  an  incognito  so  very  popular,  and  they 
fancied  he  might  be  some  Russian  agent  who  was  pre- 
paring the  ground  in  this  way,  so  that  when  the  time 
came  he  could  excite  a  sedition." 

"Do  you  believe,"  said  Cristiano,  "that  this  funny 
fellow — for  it  appears  that  he  is  a  funny  fellow  —  is  a 
Russian  spy?" 

"I?    No,  I  don't  believe  it,"  replied  Margaret.     "I 


96  THE   SNO  W  MAN. 

am  not  one  of  those  people  who  prefer  to  think  that  good- 
ness and  charity  cover  wicked  designs." 

"  But  his  mask,"  said  one  of  the  young  ladies,  who 
had  been  eagerly  listening  to  the  ollicers  ;  "  why  does  he 
always  wear  a  black  mask  when  he  enters  his  theatre 
and  leaves  it?  Is  it  to  represent  the  Italian  harlequin?" 

"No,  for  he  does  not  appear  himself  in  the  represen- 
tation which  he  exhibits  to  the  public.  There  is  some 
reason,  which  no  person  knows." 

"Perhaps,"  observed  Cristiano,  gravely,  "  it  is  to  hide 
a  leprosy,  or  something  of  the  kind." 

"  Some  say  his  nose  is  cut  off,"  remarked  one  of  the 
young  people. 

"And  others,  again,"  added  a  third,  "say  that  he  is 
the  handsomest  young  fellow  in  the  world  ;  and  that  he 
has  permitted  himself  to  be  seen  in  the  faubourg,  and 
by  some  persons  with  whom  he  has  formed  a  friendship." 

"It  would  appear,"  resumed  the  major,  "that  he 
does  not  wear  his  mask  at  all  within  his  own  establish- 
ment ;.  but  reports  are  very  conflicting  about  his  face. 
A  young  boatwoman,  who  was  almost  ill  with  curiosity, 
managed  to  induce  him  to  remove  the  mask,  and  fell 
quite  ill  with  fright  at  seeing  a  death's  head." 

"  Certainly  this  Waldo  must  be  the  devil  himself," 
said  Margaret,  "if  he  can  appear  as  a  handsom'e  young 
man  or  a  frightful  spectre.  Young  ladies,  don't  you  all 
want  to  see  him  ?  " 

"Do  you,  Margaret?" 

"  Let's  all  confess  that  we  are  wild  to  see  him,  and 
that  at  the  same  time  we  are  terribly  afraid  !  " 

"They  say  he  is  coming  here,  do  they  not?"  asked  one 
of  the  young  girls. 

"  He  is  here  now,  according  to  the  latest  accounts," 
answered  the  major. 

"What,  really?"  cried  Margaret;  "has  he  come 
already?  Shall  we  see  him?  Is  he  in  the  ball-room 
now  ?  " 

"Oh,"  said  Cristiano,  "that  would  be  rather  a  diffi- 
cult malter." 

"Difficult?     Why?" 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


97 


"Because  a  mountebank  would  not  venture  to  present 
himself  in  the  character  of  an  invited  guest,  among 
such  a  company  as  this." 

"  Bah  !  "  said  the  major  ;  "  it  seems  the  fellow  is  not 
afraid  to  do  anything.  His  mask,  his  exhibition,  and 
his  name,  belong  together ;  but  it  is  asserted,  and  it 
seems  quite  probable,  that,  under  another  name,  and 
without  any  mask,  lie  comes  and  goes  as  he  likes,  and 
goes  all  over  Stockholm  ;  and  that,  in  the  public  prom- 
enades and  most  frequented  taverns,  those  who  talk  about 
him  can  never  be  certain  that  he  is  not  just  at  their 
elbow,  or  pei'haps  the  very  person  they  are  speaking  to." 

"But  then,"  said  Cristiano,  "how  do  we  know  that 
he  is  not  even  in  this  very  room?" 

"Oh  no!"  answered  Margaret,  though  not  until  she 
had  glanced  all  round  the  room,  "all  of  us  who  are 
here  know  each  other." 

"But  I?  No  one  knows  me?  Perhaps  I  am  Chris- 
tian Waldo  ! " 

"Then  where  is  your  death's  head ?"  said  one  of  the 
young  girls,  laughing.  "Without  either  mask  or  death's 
head,  you  are  only  an  apocryphal  Waldo.  And  by  the 
way,  gentlemen,  can  any  one  tell  us  how  it  is  known  that 
he  has  arrived?  " 

"I  can  tell  you,"  replied  the  major,  "how  I  found  it 
out  myself.  It  seems  that  an  unknown  person  applied 
for  accommodations  here,  and,  the  house  being  full,  was 
directed  to  the  farm-house.  He  gave  his  name,  and 
showed  the  letter  in  which  Johan,  the  major-domo,  by 
order  of  his  master,  the  baron,  invited  him  hither  for 
the  amusement  of  the  guests  here  assembled.  I  don't 
know  whether  they  have  accommodated  him  in  some 
corner  of  the  chateau  or  elsewhere ;  but  it  is  certain  that 
he  has  come." 

"Who  told  you  so?" 

"The  major-domo  himself." 

"And  he  wore  his  mask?" 

"He  wore  his  mask." 

"And  is  he  tall  or  fat?  well  formed  or  bandy?" 

"  I  did  not  ask  any  of  those  questions ;  for  as  I  saw 


98  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

him  with  my  own  eyes  at  Stockholm  —  masked,  it  is  true 
—  I  know  him  to  be  tall,  well  made,  and  as  lithe  as  a 
deer." 

"Probably  he  may  be  some  ex-rope-dancer,"  sug- 
gested Cristiano,  who  appeared  to  take  no  more  interest 
in  the  conversation  than  politeness  required. 

"Oh  no  !"  said  Margaret ;  "he  has  received  a  capital 
education.  Everybody  is  struck  by  the  style  and  wit  of 
his  comedies." 

"But  how  do  you  know  that  they  are  his  own?" 

"People  familiar  with  all  the  ancient  and  modern 
literatures,  assert  that  nothing  in  them  is  stolen  ;  and 
these  little  comedies  of  his  —  sometimes  sentimental,  it  is 
said,  also  —  have  been  a  real  literary  event  at  Stock- 
holm." 

"Will  he  exhibit  to-morrow,  do  you  think?"  was  asked 
on  every  side. 

"It  is  to  be  presumed,"  replied  the  major;  "but  if 
these  young  ladies  are  desirous  to  know,  I  shall  be  very 
happy  to  undertake  to  find  him  out  and  inquire." 

"At  midnight?"  said  Cristiano,  looking  at  the  clock. 
"The  poor  devil  is  asleep.  I  believe  the  Countess  Mar- 
garet had  a  more  important  plan  to  suggest  to  the  com- 
pany." 

"Yes,  indeed,"  cried  Margaret.  "I  want  to  propose 
a  little  ball,  all  to  ourselves.  I  am  a  new  comer  here  —  a 
perfect  savage,  I  confess  ;  you  have  only  met  me  within 
these  two  or  three  days  ;  but  every  one  has  been  so  kind 
and  good  to  me,  that  I  am  not  afraid  to  confess  —  what 
M.  Goefle  will  be  so  good  as  to  tell  you  — " 

"This  is  it,"  said  Cristiano.  "The  Countess  Mar- 
garet, as  she  herself  just  told  you,  is  a  perfect  savage. 
She  knows  nothing  in  the  world,  not  even  how  to  dance  ; 
she  is  as  awkward  as  possible,  and  limps  at  least  as 
much  as  our  illustrious  master  Stangstadius.  Besides, 
she  is  clumsy,  absent-minded,  short-sighted.  In  fact,  it 
would  require  a  most  Christian  dose  of  charity  to  recon- 
cile one's  self  to  the  idea  of  dancing  with  her  ;  for  — " 

"Enough!  enough!"  cried  Margaret,  laughing.  "You 
have  done  me  the  honor  to  describe  me  with  a  great  deal 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


99 


of  humility.  Please  to  accept  my  thanks,  however ; 
for  they  will  all  expect  something  so  frightful  now,  that 
if  I  succeed  only  tolerably  well  everybody  will  be  en- 
chanted-with  me.  The  end  of  the  matter  is  that  I  wish 
to  make  iny  first  appearance  before  this  small  party  ;  and 
that — if  you  all  say  so  —  we  will  go  and  dance  in  the 
gallery.  The  music  in  the  grand  saloon  will  be  abun- 
dantly loud  enough  for  us  to  dance  by." 

Several  of  the  young  men  hastened  towards  Margaret, 
to  ask  for  her  hand.  She  thanked  them,  but  said  that 
M.  Christian  Goefle  had  already  devoted  himself  to  be 
the  victim. 

"  It  is  quite  true,  gentlemen,"  said  Cristiano,  gayly,  as 
his  gloved  hand  received  the  little  hand  of  Margaret ; 
"  all  please  to  pity  me,  and  so  lead  on  to  the  torture." 

Places  were  taken  in  an  instant,  and  the  quadrille 
was  formed.  Margaret  begged  not  to  be  one  of  the  first 
four. 

"  You  are  curiously  agitated,"  said  Cristiano  to  her. 

"  I  am,"  she  replied ;  "  my  heart  beats  as  if  I  were  a 
bird  launched  out  of  the  nest  for  the  first  time,  and  not 
quite  sure  that  it  has  wings  at  all." 

"The  first  quadrille,"  remarked  the  adventurer,  "is,  I 
see,  an  important  event  in  the  life  of  a  young  lady.  In 
a  year  from  now,  when  you  have  attended  a  hundred 
balls  or  so,  do  you  suppose  you  will  remember  at  all 
the  name  and  face  of  the  humble  individual  who  en- 
joys the  happiness  and  glory  of  directing  your  first 
dance  ?  " 

"Yes,  certainly,  Monsieur  Goefle  ;  the  recollection  will 
always  be  joined  to  that  of  the  greatest  emotions  of  my 
life  :  my  fear  of  the  baron,  and  my  joy  at  being  delivered 
from  him,  by  an  effort  of  courage  that  I  should  not  have 
believed  myself  capable  of,  and  with  which  I  was  cer- 
tainly inspired  by  your  uncle  and  yourself." 

"But  do  you  know,"  said  Cristiano,  "I  am  not  at  all 
certain  of  your  aversion  for  the  baron  ?  " 

"Why  not?" 

"You  are  assuredly  much  more  frightened  about  danc- 
ing in  public  than  you  were  about  daucing  with  him." 


I00  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

"Yet  I  did  not  dance  with  him,  and  I  am  going  to 
dance  with  you  ! " 

Cristiano  involuntarily  pressed  Margaret's  small  fingers  ; 
but  she  thought  this  merely  an  intimation  that  it  was  time 
for  her  to  take  her  place,  and,  all  rosy  with  pleasure  and 
bashfulness,  she  stepped  forward  with  him  into  the  joyous 
circle,  where  she  very  quickly  found  herself  entirely  at  her 
ease,  as  her  grace  and  lightness  entitled  her  to  be. 

"  Well,  I  believe  I  am  not  afraid  any  more,"  she  said, 
as  they  returned  to  their  place,  while  the  other  four  began 
the  first  figure. 

"  You  are  a  great  deal  too  courageous,"  replied  Cris- 
tiano ;  "  I  hoped  I  should  have  been  of  some  service,  but 
you  have  learned  so  fast  how  to  use  your  wings,  that  now 
you  will  be  flying  off  with  the  first  comer." 

"  It  will  never  be  with  the  baron,  though  !  But  tell  me 
why  it  was  that  you  thought  I  exaggerated  my  dislike  for 
him?" 

"  Mon  Dieu!  I  see  that  you  are  passionately  fond  of 
balls — that  is,  of  entertainments  and  luxury;  and  every 
passion  is  followed  by  certain  consequences.  Now,  if 
pleasure  is  the  object,  wealth  is  the  means  of  securing  it." 

"What?  Am  I  so  silly  and  so  homely  that  I  shall 
never  make  a  rich  marriage  unless  with  an  old  man?" 

"Then  you  admit  that  you  will  not  marry  any  one  but 
a  rich  man  ?  " 

"  If  I  should  say  yes,  what  would  you  think  of  me?" 

"  I  should  not  think  ill  of  you." 

"  I  know  ;  I  should  be  doing  just  as  so  many  others 
do  ;  and  you  would  not  think  well  of  me  either." 

This  rather  delicate  discussion  was  resumed  at  the  third 
pause  of  the  quartette  to  which  our  two  young  friends  be- 
longed. Margaret  seemed  to  want  to  test  Cristiauo's  sin- 
cerity. 

"  Confess,  now,"  she  said,  "that  you  despise  girls  who 
marry  for  riches ;  like  Olga,  for  instance,  to  whom  the 
baron  looks  so  handsome  through  the  facets  of  the  great 
diamonds  that  she  dreams  about." 

"I  despise  nothing,"  replied  the  adventurer;  "  I  am 
naturally  tolerant,  or  else  the  facets  of  what  virtue  I  have 


THE   SNOW  MAN.  IOi 

are  dulled  by  friction  with  the  world.  I  am  enthusiastic 
for  what  is  superior  to  the  average ;  and  I  feel  a  philo- 
sophical indifference  to  whatever  is  adapted  to  the  vulgar 
generality  of  people." 

"  Enthusiastic,  do  you  say?  Is  not  enthusiasm  a  high 
price  to  pay  for  a  thing  so  natural  as  disinterestedness  ? 
I  shall  not  demand  so  much  of  you,  Monsieur  Goefle  ;  I 
shall  only  ask  your  esteem.  I  hope  you  will  helieve  that 
if  I  were  free  to  choose,  I  would  consult  my  heart 
alone,  and  not  my  interest.  Even  if  I  could  never  have 
any  more  lace  to  my  sleeves,  or  satin  bows  to  my  dress  — 
even  if  I  could  never  dance  any  more  in  the  light  of  a 
thousand  caudles,  to  the  sound  of  thirty  violins,  hautboys, 
and  double-basses —  I  feel  that  I  am  capable  of  making 
even  so  immense  a  sacrifice  as  that,  for  the  sake  of  pre- 
serving my  freedom  of  opinion  and  the  approbation  of 
my  conscience." 

Margaret  spoke  with  enthusiasm.  Excited  by  the 
dancing,  she  said  just  what  was  .in  her  heart :  all  the  gen- 
erosity and  romance  of  her  nature  shone  in  her  brilliant 
eyes  ;  there  was  a  sort  of  electrical  life  and  inspiration  in 
her  radiant  smile  ;  in  her  attitude,  like  that  of  a  bird  eager 
to  dart  upwards  again  to  the  clouds  ;  in  her  lovely  fair  hair, 
whose  long  curls  wreathed  over  her  lily-white  shoulders  as 
if  they  were  alive  ;  in  the  heart-felt  tone  of  her  voice  —  in 
short,  in  the  whole  of  her  charming  little  person.  Cris- 
tiano  was  altogether  dazzled,  and,  without  being  entirely 
conscious  of  what  he  was  saying,  he  asked  Margaret,  as 
if  he  were  dreaming,  this  strange  question  : 

"  You  will  never  permit  yourself  to  love  any  one  not 
of  your  own  rank,  I  know.  But  suppose  that,  in  spite  of 
yourself,  you  should  find  your  affections  drawn  towards 
some  poor  devil,  a  person  without  a  name,  without  a 
penny  —  Christian  Waldo,  for  instance  —  would  you  not 
be  extremely  mortified,  and  consider  it  your  duty  to  stifle 
your  inclinations?" 

"  Christian  Waldo  !  "  said  Margaret.  "Why  Christian 
Waldo?  You  choose  a  very  strange  person  as  an  ex- 
ample ! " 


r02  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

"  Extremely  so,  and  I  do  it  on  purpose.  When  one 
proceeds  by  an  antithesis  —  But  come  ;  this  is  what  I 
mean.  Suppose  that  this  Christian  Waldo  —  whom  I  do 
not  know  at  all  —  really  possesses  the  courage,  the  intel- 
ligence, the  generosity  that  have  just  been  attributed  to 
him  here ;  and  in  addition  to  his  other  endowments,  the 
poverty  which  must  be  the  faithful  attendant  of  his  wan- 
derings ;  and  a  name  which,  I  presume,  he  does  not  claim 
in  virtue  of  any  old  parchments." 

"And  with  his  death's  head — " 

"No,  without  his  death's  head.  Well,  suppose  that 
you  had  no  choice  of  marriage,  except  between  him  and 
the  Baron  de  Waldemora  —  " 

"My  choice  would  be  very  easily  made.  I  would  not 
marry  at  all !  " 

"Unless,  of  course,  it  should  turn  out  that  Christian's 
mask  concealed  a  young  and  handsome  prince,  who  was 
obliged  to  conceal  himself  for  reasons  of  state  ?  " 

"A  fine  idea  that  is!"  said  Margaret;  "another 
Czarewitch  Ivan  escaped  out  of  his  prison,  or  another 
Philip  III.  escaped  from  his  assassins  ! " 

"  In  that  case,  apocryphal  or  not,  he  would  find  grace 
in  your  eyes." 

"What  do  you  want  me  to  say?  An  Italian  buffoon 
is  really  not  a  good  standard  of  comparison,  if  you  are  in 
earnest." 

"  Too  true,"  replied  Cristiano,  "  and  here  is  the  finale  ; 
let  us  tread  it  lightly,  for  it  is  the  handful  of  earth  cast 
upon  the  romance  entitled  '  The  First  Quadrille ' ! " 

But  it  was  not  ordained  that  this  quadrille  should 
end  according  to  choregraphic  laws.  M.  Stangstadius, 
having  at  last  finished  the  copious  repast,  which  he  called 
a  mere  snack  between  the  supper  and  the  after-supper, 
just  at  this  moment  came  out  from  the  refreshment-room. 
Absorbed  in  some  lofty  conception  awakened  in  his  niind 
by  the  agreeable  effort  of  prosperous  digestion,  and 
coming  upon  the  young  dancers  in  his  progress,  he 
marched  unceremoniously  straight  through  them,  run- 
ning against  the  cavaliers  who  were  just  exhibiting  their 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


103 


graces  in  the  "forward  two,"  and  treading  on  the  little 
feet  of  the  ladies  as  if  they  had  been  so  many  pebbles. 
His  extravagant  limping  rendered  his  gait  so  ridiculous 
that  every  one  burst  out  laughing.  The  dance  was  quite 
broken  up  ;  and  the  young  couples,  taking  hold  of  each 
other's  hands,  executed  a  rapid  and  noisy  rondo  about 
the  chevalier  of  the  polar  star,  who,  not  wishing  to 
be  behind  the  others  in  grace,  undertook  to  execute  a 
hopping  movement  in  the  opposite  direction,  to  the  im- 
mense amusement  of  the  company.  But,  sad  to  tell,  the 
laughing  and  singing  became  so  noisy  as  to  attract  atten- 
tion in  the  grand  saloon. 

The  orchestra  had  come  to  a  pause  in  the  music,  but 
the  young  people  did  not  notice  it,  and  kept  on  singing 
and  dancing  around  Staugstadius,  who  compared  himself 
to  Saturn  in  the  middle  of  his  ring. 

Countess  Elfride  hastened  to  the  spot,  and,  beholding 
the  sudden  cure  of  her  niece,  fell  into  a  rage,  which  this 
time  she  could  not  restrain. 

"My  dear  Margaret,"  she  said,  shortly,  in  a  sharp 
tone,  "you  are  exceedingly  imprudent.  You  forget  your 
sprain ;  it  is  extremely  dangerous  to  go  on  in  such  a 
way.  I  have  just  seen  the  baron's  physician,  and  he 
prescribes  entire  quiet  to-night.  Have  the  goodness  to 
retire  at  once  with  your  governess.  She  will  assist  you 
to  go  to  bed,  and  put  on  some  compresses.  Believe  me, 
you  had  best  do  so." 

She  added  in  a  low  tone  — 

"Obey  me!" 

Margaret,  who  had  been  rosy  with  delight,  turned 
quite  pale,  and,  whether  from  anger  or  mortification, 
could  not  restrain  two  great  tears  which  glittered  a  mo- 
ment on  her  long  eye-lashes,  and  rolled  down  her  cheeks. 
The  Countess  Elfride  snatched  her  hand  and  carried  her 
off,  saying,  in  an  under-tone  : 

"  I  think  you  have  taken  an  oath  to  do  nothing  to-night 
but  make  a  fool  of  yourself.  Now  you  must  pay  for  it. 
I  excused  you  for  not  dancing  with  our  entertainer,  for 
he  really  believes  you  were  in  pain  ;  but  after  that,  to 
dance  with  another  person  is  to  offer  the  baron  an  un- 


104  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

hcard-of,  deliberate  insult,  and  I  will  not  allow  you  to 
keep  up  such  conduct  until  he  has  perceived  it." 

Crjstiano  followed  along  behind  Margaret,  trying  to 
think  of  some  means  of  disarming  or  diverting  the  wrath 
of  her  aunt,  if  he  should  perceive  any  favorable  moment 
for  addressing  her,  when  he  saw  the  baron  approaching, 
and  paused,  leaning  against  the  pedestal  of  a  statue,  to 
sec  what  would  take  place  among  the  three. 

"What!"  said  the  baron,  "you  are  taking  away 
your  niece?  It  is  too  early.  I  thought  she  was  just 
beginning  to  enjoy  herself  in  my  house.  Permit  me  to 
beseech  your  indulgence  for  her ;  and  since  she  has  been 
dancing — as  I  am  told  —  may  1  now  beg  her  to  dance 
with  me  ?  She  certainly  cannot  refuse  me  now,  and  I  am 
sure  she  will  consent  with  piea.sure." 

"If  you  insist  upon  it,  baron,  I  consent,"  said  the 
countess. 

"Come,  Margaret,  thank  the  baron,  and  go  with  him. 
Do  you  not  see  that  he  is  offering  you  his  arm  for  the 
polonaise  ? " 

Margaret  seemed  to  hesitate  ;  her  eyes  met  those  of 
Cristiano,  who  did  not  know  which  feeling  predominated 
—  his  desire  to  have  her  remain,  or  his  fear  that  she  would 
yield.  Perhaps  the  last  sentiment  was  most  distinctly 
expressed  in  h^is  looks,  for  Margaret  answered  steadily 
that  she  was  engaged. 

"To  whom,  pray?"  cried  the  countess. 

"Yes;  to  whom?"  repeated  the  baron,  with  a  sin- 
gular inflection  in  his  voice,  and  with  a  calmness  that, 
Margaret  thought,  had  something  ominous  in  it. 

She  looked  down,  and  was  silent  ;  for  she  did  not 
understand  what  was  passing  in  the  mind  of  her  perse- 
cutor, from  whom  she  had  thought  herself  quite  safe. 

The  baron's  only  object  was  to  torment  her  and  com- 
promise her.  He  saw  perfectly  well  her  aversion  for 
him,  and  cordially  reciprocated  it.  Coldly  hard-hearted 
and  revengeful,  he  affected  to  jest  ;  but  said,  speaking 
loud  enough  to  be  heard  by  many  inquisitive  ears  : 

"Where  is  the  happy  mortal  with  whom  I  must  dis- 
pute you?  for  I  certainly  will  do  it.  I  have  the  right." 


THE   SNOW  MAN.  105 

u  You  have  the  right  ?  "  exclaimed  Margaret,  amazed 
and  indignant ;  "you,  baron?  " 

';Yes,  I,"  he  answered,  with  cold,  cruel  irony;  "you 
know  very  well  I  have.  Come,  where  is  this  rival 
who  is  going  to  carry  you  off  to  dance  from  under  my 
very  beard?" 

'•Here!"  exclaimed  Cristiano,  losing  his  self-control, 
and  advancing  upon  the  baron  in  a  threatening  manner, 
while  all  the  spectators,  stupefied  into  silence,  looked  on 
with  curiosity  and  amazement. 

It  was  very  well  known  that  the  baron,  in  spite  of  his 
sluggish  and  blase  manner,  was  extremely  irascible, 
and  indomitably  proud.  Every  one  expected  a  violent 
scene  ;  and,  in  fact,  a  greenish  pallor  overspread  instanta- 
neously the  baron's  face,  and  he  opened  and  shut  his 
large  and  short-sighted  eyes,  as  if  to  emit  a  flash  of 
lightning  for  the  annihilation  of  the  audacious  unknown 
who  defied  him  so  openly.  But  instantly  the  blood  rushed' 
back  to  his  forehead,  on  which  one  large,  engorged  vein 
rose  like  a  ridge,  while  his  lips  became  more  livid  than 
the  rest  of  his  face.  An  indistinct  cry  escaped  him, 
his  arms  extended  convulsively,  and  he  fell  forward, 
exclaiming : 

"There  it  is  !     There  it  is  !" 

lie  would  have  fallen  upon  the  fioor^iad  not  twenty 
arms  interposed.  He  had  fainted  ;  and  they  carried  him 
to  a  window,  and  unceremoniously  broke  the  panes  to 
give  him  fresh,  air.  Olga  made  her  way  through  the 
crowd  to  bear  him  assistance.  Margaret  disappeared 
as  if  her  aunt  had  whisked  her  off  by  conjuration  ;  and 
Cristiano  was  rapidly  led  away  by  Major  Osmund  Larr- 
son,  who  had  taken  a  great  liking  to  him. 

"'Come  along  with  me,"  said  the  good-natured  young 
fellow  ;  "I  must  speak  with  you." 

In  a  few  moments  Cristiano  and  Osmund  were  alone 
in  an  antique  room  on  the  ground-floor,  warmed  by  an 
immense  fire-place. 

"We  can  smoke  here,"  said  the  major.  "Here's  a 
rack,  well  filled ;  suit  yourself  with  a  pipe,  and  here's 
the  tobacco.  That  beer  on  the  table  is  the  best  in  the 


I06  THE   SNOW  MAN.* 

country,  and  here's  some  capital  old  Dantzic  brandy. 
My  comrades  will  be  down  in  a  moment  to  tell  us  the 
latest  news  of  the  affair." 

"My  dear  major,"  said  Cristiano,  "I  see  you  think 
me  extremely  angry,  but  you  are  mistaken.  Let  the 
baron  get  over  his  attack ;  I  will  smoke  here  with  you 
until  he  is  ready  for  an  explanation." 

"But  for  what  purpose?  to  fight  a  duel?"  said  the 
major.  "Bah!  The  baron  never  fights;  he  never  has 
fought.  You  do  not  know  him  at  all,  then  ?  " 

"  Not  at  all,"  said  Cristiano,  calmly,  as  he  smoked  his 
pipe,  and  poured  out  a  large  goblet  of  beer.  "  Have  I 
really,  like  a  true  Don  Quixote,  attacked  a  windmill?  I 
did  not  know  that  I  was  making  such  a  fool  of  myself." 

"You  have  done  nothing  of  the  kind,  my  dear  friend. 
Quite  the  contrary,  many  persons  will  think  that  you 
have  been  exceedingly  audacious  to  oppose  the  Snow 
Man  ;  and  certainly  that  is  my  opinion." 

"  I  should  have  thought  that  a  man  of  snow  would 
easily  thaw." 

"That  is  not  the  case  in  this  country.  Men  of  that 
kind  remain  standing  a  long  time." 

"I  have  been  heroic,  then,  without  knowing  it." 

"  You  must  try  and  not  find  it  out  at  your  own  ex- 
pense. The  baron  does  not  fight,  it  is  true  ;  but  he  takes 
his  revenge  for  all  that,  and  he  never  forgets  an  injury. 
It  doesn't  matter  where  you  may  be,  he  will  pursue  you 
with  his  hate  ;  and  it  doesn't  matter  what  career  you  may 
want  to  follow,  he  will  put  obstacles  in  your  way.  If 
you  get  into  some  difficulty,  as  may  happen  to  any  high- 
spirited  young  fellow,  he  will  contrive  to  make  it  dan- 
gerous for  you ;  and  if  he  once  has  you  thrown  into 
prison,  there  you  will  remain.  My  advice  to  you,  there- 
fore, is  to  depart  at  once,  and  to  remain  constantly  on 
your  guard  as  long  as  you  live  ;  at  least,  unless  the  devil 
chooses  to  wring  the  neck  of  his  crony  this  very  night, 
under  the  pretence  of  a  fit  of  apoplexy." 

"Do  you  think  the  baron  so  ill?"  inquired  Cris- 
tiano. 

"  We  shall  soon  know  all  about  it.     Here  is  my  lievi- 


*  THE   SNO  W  MAN.  107 

tenant,  Erwin  Osburn,  who  is  my  best  friend,  and  who 
likes  you  as  well  as  I  do.  How  now,  lieutenant,  what  is 
the  latest  news  of  the  Snow  Man  ?  Are  there  any  signs 
that  the  thaw  is  approaching  ?  " 

"  No,  it  turns  out  to  be  nothing  at  all,"  replied  the  lieu- 
tenant ;  "  or,  anyhow,  so  he  pretends.  He  went  to  his 
room  for  a  moment,  and  returned  with  such  a  good  color, 
that  I  suspect  him  of  daubing  his  pale  cheeks  with  rouge. 
His  eyes  are  dull,  however,  and  he  hesitates  in  speaking.  I 
was  curious  enough  to  go  up  to  him ;  and  taking  this  as  a 
mark  of  respect,  he  condescended  to  inform  me  that  it 
was  his  wish  that  the  dancing  should  go  on,  and  that  peo- 
ple should  pay  no  further  attention  to  him.  He  is  seated 
in  the  grand  drawing-room,  and  what  convinces  me  that 
he  is  more  uncomfortable  than  he  confesses  is,  that  he 
seems  entirely  to  have  forgotten  the  outbreak  of  rage  that 
threw  him  into  this  fine  state,  and  that  nobody  ventures 
to  remind  him  of  it." 

"  Then  the  ball  will  go  on,"  said  the  major,  "  and  you 
will  see  that  it  will  be  gayer  than  ever.  It  seems  as  if 
the  people  here  wanted  to  shake  off  the  thought  of  some 
approaching  catastrophe,  or  as  if  the  baron's  heirs  could 
not  contain  their  joy  at  finding  that  he  is  really  ill,  and 
has  been  so  for  some  time.  But  you  must  tell  us  one 
thing,  Christian  Goefle.  Under  what  form  did  you  ap- 
pear to  the  baron?  or  what  spell  did  you  cast  over  him? 
Are  you  a  ghost  or  a  sorcerer?  Are  you  the  man  of  the. 
lake,  who  fascinates  people  with  a  look  of  his  icy  eyes? 
What  is  there  in  common  between  the  baron  and  yourself, 
and  why  is  it  that  he  should  have  uttered,  in  swooning, 
his  famous  exclamation,  which  I  heard  to-day  for  the  first 
time  :  '  There  it  is  !  there  it  is  !  ' " 

"  I  wish  you  would  explain  it  to  me,"  replied  Cristiauo  ; 
"  for  I  have  been  trying  in  vain  to  recall  where  I  could 
have  seen  him ;  if  we  ever  did  meet,  the  circumstances 
must  have  been  very  insignificant,  since  my  memory  of 
them  is  so  confused.  Let  me  see,  has  he  been  travelling 
in  France  or  Italy  since  — " 

"  Oh,  it  is  a  long,  long  time  since  he  left  the   north  ! " 

"  I  am  mistaken,  then  ;  I  have  never  seen  the  baron 


I08  THE  SNOW  MAN: 

before  to-day.  Aud  yet  one  would  have  said  that  he  rec- 
ognized me.  May  he  not  have  been  delirious  when  he 
cried  :  '  There  it  is  !  there  it  is  ! '  " 

u  Oh,  that  is  a  sure  thing,"  said  the  major.  "  I  have 
a  gardener  in  my  lostoclle,*  who  was  at  one  time  one  of 
his  servants,  and  who  has  told  me  a  good  many  curious 
things  about  him.  The  baron  is  subject  to  violent  at- 
tacks, which  his  physician  calls  nervous  attacks,  and  which 
come  from  a  chronic  liver  complaint.  While  these  spells 
last,  he  sometimes  shows  signs  of  the  strangest  fear.  He, 
the  sceptic,  the  jeering  infidel,  is  as  cowardly  as  a  child. 
He  sees  ghosts,  especially  that  of  a  woman,  and  it  is  at 
such  moments  that  he  cries  :  '  There  it  is  !  there  it  is  ! ' 
meaning,  I  suppose,  '  There,  my  fit  is  seizing  me  ! '  or, 
perhaps,  '  There  is  the  ghost  that  haunts  me  ! " 

"  He  seems  to  be  tormented  by  remorse." 

"  Some  say  it  is  the  recollection  of  his  sister-in-law." 

"  Whom  he  assassinated  ?  " 

"  They  don't  say  that  he  killed  her,  but  merely  that  he 
caused  her  to  disappear." 

"  Yes,  that  is  a  more  elegant  expression." 

"  It  is  quite  possible  that  there  is  no  foundation  for 
either  story,"  resumed  the  major.  "  The  fact  is  that  Ave 
don't  know  anything  at  all  about  it,  and  that  the  baron  is 
perhaps  perfectly  innocent  of  a  great  many  crimes  of 
which  he  is  accused.  You  know  that  we  are  living  here 
on  the  classical  soil  of  the  marvellous.  The  Dalecarlians 
have  the  greatest  horror  of  anything  practical,  and  of  nat- 
ural explanations.  You  cannot  strike  against  a  stone  in 
this  country,  without  supposing  that  a  goblin  pushed  it 
against  you  on  purpose  ;  if  your  nose  itches,  you  must 
run  to  a  sibyl  to  be  cured  of  a  dwarf's  poisonous  bite ; 

*  The  bostoelle  of  the  officers  of  the  indelta  is  a  house  and 
lands,  which  they  have  the  use  of,  and  whose  rent  is  proportioned 
to  their  rank.  This  rent  is  their  salary.  The  minister's  house 
is  also  called  his  bostoelle,  and  the  minister  has  the  use  of  it  be- 
sides his  other  perquisites.  The  soldier  of  the  indelta  has  his 
torp,  his  little  house  with  a  garden  and  a  few  acres  of  land.  The 
indelta  is  a  rural  army,  whose  excellent  organization  was  formed 
by  Charles  XII.,  and  to  which  there  is  nothing  analogous  else- 
where. 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


109 


nor  is  there  a  driver  who  will  mend  the  broken  trace  of  a 
carriage  or  sleigh  without  saying,  '  Come,  come,  little 
goblin,  leave  us  alone  ;  we  are  not  doing  you  any  harm.' 

"  You  can  readily  imagine  that  the  Baron  de  Walde- 
mora  could  not  become  very  rich,  in  the  midst  of  such  a 
superstitious  people,  without  being  considered  an  alche- 
mist. Instead  of  supposing  him  to  be  paid  by  the  empress 
for  sustaining  her  political  interests,  it  was  thought  more 
natural  to  accuse  him  of  magic  ;  and  from  this  accusa- 
tion to  that  of  the  blackest  crimes  there  is  only  a  single  step. 
Every  sorcerer  drowns  his  victims  in  waterfalls,  buries 
them  in  abysses,  rides  avalanches,  attends  the  witches'  Sab- 
bath, and  at  the  very  least  eats  human  flesh,  being  thought 
quite  moderate  in  his  ferocious  appetites  if  he  only  sucks  the 
blood  of  Jnfants.  For  my  part,  I  have  heard  so  many 
stories  that  I  discredit  them  all,  and  confine  myself  to 
believing  what  I  know  ;  and  what  I  know  is,  that  the 
baron  is  a  wicked  man,  too  cowardly  to  strike  another 
man  ;  too  well-fed  and  fastidious  to  drink  blood ;  too  cold- 
blooded to  lie  in  wait  for  travellers  under  frozen  lakes  ;  but 
quite  capable  of  sending  his  best  friend  to  the  gallows,  if 
he  had  any  personal  interest  in  doing  so,  and  had  only  to 
utter  some  wicked  calumny  to  accomplish  his  purpose." 

"He  is  a  great  villain  !  "  said  Cristiano.  "•  But  allow 
me  to  express  my  surprise  at  seeing  so  many  respectable 
persons  at  his  house  — " 

"  You  are  right,"  replied  Osmund,  without  giving  him 
time  to  continue.  "  We  are  unquestionably  to  blame  for 
coming  to  amuse  ourselves  at  the  entertainments  of  a  man 
whom  we  all  hate.  You  have  for  an  excuse  that  you 
don't  know  him,  but  as  for  the  rest  of  us  — " 

"  I  did  not  make  any  personal  allusions,"  rejoined 
Cristiano. 

"  I  know  it,  my  dear  fellow  ;  but  you  should  not  be 
surprised  to  find  that  a  tyrant  has  a  court.  You  are,  of 
course,  familiar  with  the  history  of  your  country  ;  but  as 
you  have  been  absent  a  number  of  years,  you  may  have 
thought  that  the  progress  of  philosophy  has  established 
a  little,  equality  between  the  different  orders  of  the 
state..  It  is  not  so  at  all,  Christian  Goefle,  not  at  all ;  as 


IIO  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

you  will  soon  see  with  your  own  eyes.  The  nobility  is 
all-powerful ;  then  conies  the  clergy,  enlightened  and 
austere,  but  also  tyrannical  and  intolerant.  The  bour- 
geoise,  so  useful  in  the  state,  and  so  patriarchal  in  their 
manners,  count  for  little,  the  peasantry  for  nothing  at  all, 
and  the  king  for  less  than  nothing.  When  a  nobleman  is 
rich,  which  luckily  is  very  rare,  he  controls  the  interests 
and  destinies  of  his  whole  province,  and  he  either  makes 
men  do  as  he  chooses  or  ruins  them.  You  may  rest  as- 
sured that  this  would  be  the  case  with  us  young  officers, 
if  we  should  offer  any  discourtesy  to  the  illustrious  Seig- 
neur de  Waldemora.  It  is  true  that  he  could  not  deprive 
us  of  our  rank,  which  can  only  be  forfeited  in  case  of 
actual  crime ;  but,  in  spite  of  the  inviolable  laws  of  the 
indelta,  we  should  be  forced,  by  unheard-of  persecutions, 
to  abandon  our  cantonments,  houses,  estates  and  friends, 
as  if  we  were  a  simple  garrison." 

At  this  moment  two  other  young  men  came  in  to 
smoke,  and  Cristiano  ventured  to  ask  them  whether 
Countess  Elfride  had  returned  to  the  ball-room. 

"  You  are  a  sly  fellow  !  "  replied  one  of  them  ;  "  you 
will  not  persuade  us  that  you  take  such  an  interest  in  the 
wicked  Countess  Elfride.  As  for  her  lovely  niece,  she 
disappeared  at  the  same  time  with  yourself,  and  her  aunt 
pretends  that  she  is  very  lame." 

"Disappeared,  did  you  say?"  cried  Cristiano,  unreas- 
onably alarmed  at  the  word. 

"  Come  !  "  said  the  major,  good-humoredly,  "  do  you 
feel  uneasy  about  your  beauty,  my  dear  Goefle  ?  " 

"  Excuse  me,  I  have  no  right  to  speak  so  of  Countess 
Margaret.  She  is  certainly  beautiful ;  but,  unfortunately 
for  me,  she  is  not  mine  in  any  sense  of  the  word." 

"I meant  no  harm,"  replied  Osmund,  '"I  merely  saw, 
like  everybody  else,  that  she  selected  you  for  the  partner 
of  her  first  dance,  and  that  you  seemed  to  be  chatting  to- 
gether in  a  very  friendly  way.  If  you  are  not  in  love 
with  her  you  make  a  mistake,  upon  my  honor,  and  if  she 
don't  feel  some  little  weakness  for  you,  perhaps  she  also 
makes  a  mistake,  for  we  all  think  you  a  capital  fellow." 


THE   SNOW  MAN.  HI 

"It  would  be  altogether  a  mistake  in  me,"  replied 
Cristiano,  "  to  aspire  to  a  star  too  far  above  me." 

"Bah!  because  you  have  no  title?  But  your  family- 
has  been  ennobled,  and  your  uncle,  the  lawyer,  is  a  dis- 
tinguished man  in  talent  and  character.  He  is  quite  as 
rich,  moreover,  as  the  beautiful  Margaret.  Love  removes 
all  obstacles,  and  if  you  have  disagreeable  relations,  you 
can  swear  fidelity  in  secret.  In  our  country,  such  be- 
trothals are  as  sacred  as  any,  and  so,  if  you  want  to  carry 
your  point,  we  are  all  ready  to  help  you." 

"To  help  me  in  what?"  said  Cristiano,  laughing. 

"  To  an  immediate  interview  with  the  countess,  un- 
known to  her  aunt.  Well,  comrades,  what  say  you? 
here  are  four  of  us  all  ready.  For  my  part,  I  know 
where  their  rooms  are,  and  we  can  go  there  without  a 
moment's  delay.  If  Mademoiselle  Potin  is  frightened  — 
pay  her  compliments,  Avhich  she  really  deserves,  as  to 
that,  for  she  is  a  charming  person ;  and  if  a  chamber- 
maid screams,  kiss  her,  and  promise  her  ribbons  for  her 
hair.  Then  we  demand  a  serious  conversation  with  the 
Countess  Margaret  for  Christian  Goefle,  in  the  name  of 
M.  Goefle,  his  uncle,  from  whom  he  brings  an  important 
communication  !  Ha  !  —  that's  it.  They  will  introduce 
us  —  but  of  course  without  our  pipes  —  into  a  little  draw- 
ing-room, where  we  will  sit  down  quietly  apart,  while 
Christian  Goefle  addresses  la  diva  contessina  in  a  low 
voice,  and  offers  her  his  heart ;  or,  if  he  is  too  timid  to 
do  that,  lets  her  divine  what  his  sentiments  really  are, 
while  he  inquires  about  the  dangers  with  which  the  peer- 
less little  lady  is  beset,  and  arranges  with  her  to  avert 
them.  I  am  not  laughing,  gentlemen.  It  is  quite  evident 
that  Madame  d'Elveda  wants  to  force  the  inclination  of 
her  pupil,  and  that  the  cunning  Olaus  is  trying  to  com- 
promise her,  so  as  to  drive  off'  all  other  suitors.  Very 
well  j/the  situation  is  magnificent  for  the  man,  who,  in  a 
crowded  ball-room,  took  up  the  gauntlet  for  the  victim 
of  this  odious  and  ridiculous  plot.  Come,  Christian  ! 
come,  gentlemen,  are  you  ready?  Parbleu  I  You  shall 
have  your  turn  !  Another  time,  Christian,  you  shall  be 
the  one  to  assist  us  in  love  affairs  as  virtuous  as  your 


II2  THE  SNOW  MAN: 

own  ;  we  ought  to  be  able  to  rely  upon  each  other  to  that 
extent,  we  youno;  folks.  In  Heaven's  name,  what  would 
have  become  of  us  before  now,  if  we  were  not  all  devoted 
friends  and  confidants  'i  Forward  !  To  the  assault  of  the 
citadel.  Follow  me,  if  you  love  me  !  " 

All  started  up,  even  Cristiano  himself,  for  he  could  not 
help  being  carried  away  by  the  proposition,  but  he  paused 
at  the  door  of  the  room,  and  stopped  the  others. 

"Thanks,  gentlemen,"  he  said,  "'and  depend  upon  it 
that  I  will  go  through  fire  for  you  when  necessary,  but  I 
have  no  right  to  introduce  this  sweet  romance  into  my 
life.  Nothing  in  the  conduct  of  Countess  Margaret  au- 
thorized me  to  undertake  her  defence,  which  I  did  in  a 
moment  of  thoughtless  indignation,  and  I  have  no  reason 
now  to  hope  that  she  thanks  me  for  my  interference.  She 
may  be  offended,  on  the  contrary  ;  and  it  belongs  to  M. 
Goefle  the  lawyer,  and  to  him  alone,  to  protect  her  from 
her  aunt,  by  acquainting  her  with  her  rights.  The  best 
thing  for  me  to  do,  since  my  beautiful  partner  has  left  off 
dancing,  and  my  terrible  rival  does  not  fight,  is  to  go  and 
have  a  good  sleep,  of  which  I  am  really  very  much  in 
need,  since  I  have  been  upon  my  feet  for  more  than 
twenty-four  hours." 

Cristiano's. sentiments  were  approved  of,  and  he  was 
loudly  applauded  for  his  gallantry.  They  tried  to  make 
him  stop  and  drink  with  them,  supposing  this  to  be  an 
irresistible  temptation,  but  Cristiano  was  sober,  as  the  in- 
habitants of  warm  countries  usually  are.  The  night  was 
advancing,  and  he  thought  it  more  prudent  to  put  an  cud 
to  the  comedy  performed  hitherto  with  so  much  success. 
He  shook  hands  with  his  new  friends,  bade  them  adieu, 
promised  to  return  to  breakfast  Avhile  inwardly  resolving 
to  do  nothing  of  the  kind,  and  without  giving  them  time 
to  inquire  what  part  of  the  new  chateau  he  was  stopping 
in,  returned  lightly  and  mysteriously  over  the  frozen  lake. 

It  was  on  purpose  that  he  left  Loki,  and  the  sleigh  of 
the  doctor  of  laws,  at  the  new  chateau  ;  he  was  afraid  that 
they  would  be  heard,  and  cause  him  to  be  observed.  He 
walked  along  the  shore,  until  too  far  to  be  seen  from  the 
windows  of  the  chateau,  and  then  crossed  to  the  door  of 


THE   SNOW  MAN.  03 

Stollborg,  which  he  had  left  open,  and  which  no  one,  Ul- 
philas  least  of  all,  had  thought  of  coming  to. fasten. 

He  took  these  precautions,  because,  to  the  pale  light  of 
the  moon,  which  was  no  longer  visible,  had  succeeded  the 
fleeting  but  brilliant  splendor  of  a  magnificent  aurora 
borealis.  It  was  magnificent,  at  all  events,  for  this  re- 
gion, although  it  is  quite  probable  that  it  would  have  been 
a  very  ordinary  display  at  a  higher  degree  of  north  lati- 
tude ;  and  yet  the  illumination  towards  the  polar  regions 
must  have  been  unusually  vivid  at  this  moment,  for  it 
lighted  up  the  whole  country,  and  every  object  around  the 
frozen  lake.  The  snow,  under  its  varying  reflections,  was 
showing  a  fantastic  and  magnificent  succession  of  red  and 
blue  colors,  and  Cristiano,  before  entering  the  bear-room, 
remained  for  several  moments  at  the  door  of  the  court, 
unable,  in  spite  of  the  cold  and  solitude,  to  tear  himself 
from  this  wonderful  spectacle. 


V. 

TT  was  eight  o'clock  next  morning  when  M.  Goefle 
awoke.  Probably  he  had  not  rested  as  well  as  usual 
during  the  night,  for  he  was  habitually  an  early  riser,  and 
was  quite  scandalized  to  find  himself  abed  at  such  an  hour. 
It  is  true  that  he  had  reckoned  upon  little  Nils  to  Avake 
him,  but  Nils  was  still  sound  asleep,  and,  after  several 
attempts  to  arouse  him,  M.  Goefle  concluded  to  let  him 
lie  as  long  as  he  chose.  This  was  not  ill-temper  on  the 
part  of  the  doctor  of  laws,  but  simply  complete  despair  of 
obtaining  any  service  from  his  valet-de-chambre.  Resign- 
ing himself  to  necessity,  therefore,  he  lighted  his  own  fire, 
and  then  proceeded,  like  a  methodical  man  as  he  was,  by 
the  light  of  a  candle,  which  somehow  seemed  to  be  asleep 
standing,  to  shave,  and  to  comb  and  curl  his  wig  as  care- 
fully, and  as  well  too,  as  if  all  his  conveniences  had  been 
at  hand.  Lastly,  having  completed  his  toilet,  all  except 
his  coat,  which  was  ready  to  slip  on  in  case  of  need,  he 
wound  up  his  watch,  looked  out  at  the  sky,  saw  that 
there  was  not  yet  the  least  trace  of  sunrise,  put  on  his 
8 


H 4  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

dressing-gown,  and,  opening  the  two  intermediate  doors, 
prepared  to  put  things  in  order  in  his  saloon,  the  bear- 
room,  intending  to  go  to  work  there,  quietly  and  comfort- 
ably, until  breakfast-time. 

But  as  he  approached  the  stove,  holding  up  his  hand 
between  his  eyes  and  the  flickering  light  of  his  caudle,  he 
started  to  see  a  human  figure  lying  down  between  the  stove 
and  himself^  the  body  sunk  into  the  large  arm-chair,  the 
head  lying  over  backwards  upon  the  stuffed  back,  and  the 
legsr  thrust  at  a  level  with  the  body,  into  the  large  open- 
ing for  hot  air  just  above  the  grate  of  the  stove. 

"  Hallo  !  What  a  sleeping  beauty  !  "  exclaimed  the 
advocate  ;  "  he  has  really  a  superb  face  ! "  and  he  stopped 
to  look  at  Cristiano,  who  was  sleeping  peacefully  and  pro- 
foundly. "  It  is  some  young  gentleman  or  other  who  has 
run  away  to  this  old  place  from  the  noise  and  confusion 
of  the  new  chateau,  as  I  did.  Well,  I  hoped  I  should  be 
alone  in  this  cursed  hole,  at  any  rate  ; "  but,  if  I  can't,  I 
must  make  up  my  mind  to  have  company,  I  suppose. 
Fortunately  this  young  man  looks  agreeable.  The  poor 
fellow  must  have  been  very  careful,  for  he  made  not  the 
least  noise,  and  did  not  hunt  at  all  for  any  better  bed  than 
that  arm-chairy  which  must  be  breaking  him  in  two  across 
the  loins  ! " 

Then  M.  Goefle  touched  lightly  the  cheek  of  Cristiano, 
who  motioned  as  if  driving  off  a  fly,  but  did  not  wake  up. 

"He  is  warm  enough,  at  any  rate,"  said  the  lawyer 
again.  "That's  a  capital  furred  cloak  —  just  like  my 
travelling-cloak ;  why,  it's  exactly  like  it !  Where  is 
mine,  by  the  way?  Oh,  I  see  ;  he  found  it  on  the  chair, 
and  just  put  it  on.  Faith,  he  was  quite  right.  I  should 
have  made  him  perfectly  welcome  to  it ;  indeed,  I  would 
have  given  him  the  other  bed  in  my  room,  and  Master 
Nils  should  have  been  obliging  enough  to  sleep  on  the 
sofa.  I  am  sorry  the  young  man  thought  it  necessary 
to  be  so  particular  1  Really  altogether  too  particular,  I 
must  say  !  A  well-bred  fellow,  too,  that's  evident ;  and 
careful  of  his  toilet,  for  he  took  his  coat  off  when  he  went 
to  sleep ;  that's  a  mark  of  a  good,  steady  character. 
Let's  see  what  can  be  our  young  friend's  profession :  a 


THE  SNOW  MAN.  115 

/ 

black  coat  —  quite  like  my  own  best  dress-coat  —  so 
very  like  it  that  it  is  mine,  for  there's  my  own  hand- 
kerchief perfumed  with  musk,  and  —  ah  !  he  has  been 
using  my  invitation  to  the  ball.  And  my  white  gloves  ! 
where  are  my  white  gloves?  On  the  floor  ! — just  where 
they  ought  to  be,  too,  for  they  are  entirely  spoiled.  Ah, 
ah,  my  fine  fellow,  you  are  not  so  ceremonious  as  I 
thought !  indeed,  I  can  venture  to  assert  that  you  make 
yourself  very  much  at  home.  You  lose  your  baggage,  or 
you  don't  take  the  trouble  to  unpack,  and  you  help  your- 
self to  whatever  you  think  proper  out  of  mine.  Young 
people  play  such  tricks  on  one  another,  I  know.  I  re- 
member a  certain  ball  at  Christiania,  where  I  danced  all 
night  in  poor  Stangstadius's  clothes,  and  he  had  to  lie 
abed  until  I  came  back  —  and  all  next  day  too,  for  I  let 
them  carry  me  off.  But  nonsense  !  we  were  young  then. 
At  my  age  it  will  not  do  to  allow  that  sort  of  fun  —  to 
other  people.  Hallo,  hallo,  monsieur  !  Wake  up  !  Give 
me  my  breeches  and  silk  stockings !  God  pardon  me, 
what  a  quantity  of  stitches  the  young  animal  has  started 
in  dancing  !  And  he  won't  even  condescend  to  open  his 
eyes ! " 

As  he  made  these  observations  in  rapid  succession,  M. 
Goefle  at  last  espied  the  clothes  that  Cristiano  had  laid  off 
the  evening  before,  and  which,  overcome  by  sleep  at  his 
return,  he  had  left  upon  another  chair.  The  threadbare 
trousers,  the  equally  worn  Venetian  cloak,  and  the  famous 
corded  Tyrolian  hat,  launched  M.  Goefle  upon  a  new  sea 
of  conjectures.  Could  this  handsome  young  man,  with 
his  distinguished  face  and  well-shaped  hands,  be  some 
mere  Bohemian,  a  bear-leader  perhaps,  a  travelling  ped- 
ler,  a  wandering  singer?  An  Italian  singer,  possibly? 
No  ;  his  face  was  unmistakably  a  Dalecarlian  one.  A 
conjurer  —  perhaps-a  good  deal  too  skilful  in  the  line  of 
his  profession ?  No;  for  M.  Goefle  found  his  purse  all, 
safe  in  his  trunk,  and  the  sleeper's  face  was  an  extremely 
honest  one.  He  slept  the  sleep  of  innocence,  too,  most 
assuredly. 

What  was  to  be  supposed,  and  what  was  to  be  done  ? 
The  lawyer  scratched  his  head.     Possibly  this  wretched 


rl6  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

costume  was  a  disguise  which  the  young  man  had  as- 
sumed to  conceal  himself  while  running  about  to  play  the 
Don  Juan  under  the  balcony  of  some  pretty  visitor  at  the 
new  chateau.  But  finding  none  of  his  guesses  satisfac- 
tory, M.  Goefle  finally  set  to  work  in  earnest  to  awaken 
his  visitor,  shaking  him  repeatedly,  and  bawling  into  his 
ear,  "  Here,  here,  hallo  !  I  say  !  Come,  neighbor,  wake 
up ! "  and  such  other  exclamations  as  impatient  people 
use  for  the  benefit  of  obstinate  sleepers. 

Cristiano  at  last  opened  his  eyes,  looked  fixedly  at  M. 
Goefle  without  seeing  him,  and  with  a  truly  Olympian 
calmness  shut  them  again. 

"Ah,  there  you  go  again,"  said  the  lawyer,  "off  to 
dream-land ! " 

"What  is  it?  What's  the  matter?  Does  the  aurora 
borealis  last  yet  ?"  asked  Cristiano,  whose  half  sleep  was 
evidently  cradled  in  pleasant  dreams. 

"Where  can  you  get  an  aurora  borealis  at  this  time  of 
day?"  asked  M.  Goefle  ;  "  it's  just  before  sunrise." 

"The  sun?  What  is  the  use  of  talking  about  the  sun 
in  the  middle  of  a  ball?"  asked  Cristiano,  in  the  coaxing 
voice  of  a  sleeper  who  is  begging  to  be  let  alone. 

"  Yes,  that's  it ;  the  ball,  my  coat,  the  sun,  my  small- 
clothes, the  aurora  borealis,"  replied  M.  Goefle,  "all  very 
logical  and  well  connected  in  your  dreams,  no  doubt,  my 
good  friend,  but  I  want  you  to  give  a  better  account  of 
yourself,  and  I  shall  keep  on  shaking  you  until  you  can 
make  out  a  more  satisfactory  case  than  that." 

Good-natured  Cristiano  submitted  to  the  shaking  with 
incomparable  meekness.  The  habit  he  had  acquired  of 
sleeping  on  the  first  board  he  came  to,  whether  at  sea  in 
all  sorts  of  weather  or  on  the  road  in  all  sorts  of  vehi- 
cles, rendered  even  the  vigorous  rocking  which  the  lawyer 
was  bestowing  upon  him  rather  agreeable  than  other- 
wise ;  it  was  just  sufficient  to  make  him  pleasantly  con- 
scious that  he  was  in  a  state  of  repose.  Gradually, 
however,  the  idea  made  its  way  into  his  mind,  of  ascer- 
taining what  place  he  was  in.  He  opened  his  eyes,  looked 
at  the  stove,  turned  about  and  gazed,  as  if  to  question  the 
sombre  walls  of  the  room. 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


117 


"Deuce  take  me!"  he  exclaimed,  "if  I  kuow  where 
I  am.  But,  after  all,  what  difference  does  x  it  make  ? 
Here  to-day,  somewhere  else  to-morrow  !  Such  is  life  ! " 

"Please  to  take  the  trouble,  at  least,"  said  the  lawyer, 
"  to  observe  in  Avhose  company  you  are." 

Well  satisfied  with  this  dignified  command,  M.  Goefle 
waited  for  the  surprise,  or  terror,  or  .confusion,  which 
were  to  appear  in  the  face  of  the  delinquent,  but  in  vaiii. 
Cristiano  rubbed  his  eyes,  looked  upon  him  with  a  smile, 
and  observed  in  the  most  affable  manner : 

^K  very  good  face,  yours,  sir !  What  do  you  want 
of  me?" 

"What  do  I  want  of  you?"  exclaimed  M.  Goefle, 
with  some  indignation  ;  "I  want  my  fur  cloak,  my  cap, 
my  waistcoat,  my  shirt,  my  slippers  ;  —  I  want  every- 
thing of  mine  that  you  have  clothed  and  ornamented 
your  lovely  person  with." 

"Bah!  bah!  What  makes  you  think  so?  You  are 
dreaming,  my  good  man  !  "  said  the  adventurer,  raising 
himself  to  a  sitting  posture,  and  looking  with  astonish- 
ment upon  his  borrowed  wardrobe.  Then,  laughing, 
as  he  began  confusedly  to  remember  the  night's  transac- 
tions, he  continued : 

"Upon  my  word,  Monsieur  Goefle  —  it  is  that  very 
respectable  and  eminent  gentleman  to  whom  I  have  the 
honor  of  speaking,  is  it  not  ?  " 

"  I  have  every  reason  to  believe  so,  monsieur.  Well, 
then?  —  " 

"Well,  then,"  replied  Cristiano,  rising  promptly  and 
removing  the  doctoi-'s  cap  from  his  own  head,  with  per- 
fect courtesy,  '\I'  have  to  beg  a  thousand  pardons  — 
though  at  the  same  time  I  do  not  merit  a  single  one. 
Please  to  consider,  sir —  I  am  a  young  man,  and  just  at 
this  moment  quite  destitute.  A  romantic  notion  led  me  to 
the  ball  last  night,  and  I  found  no  decent  clothes  within 
my  reach  except  these,  which  Providence  seemed  to  have 
sent  on  purpose.  I  am  perfectly  cleanly,  and  in  per- 
fect health  ;  and  moreover,  if  you  should  object  to  wear 
the  clothes  after  me,  I  shall  be  able  to-morrow  to  pay 


US  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

you   for    them,   whatever   price    you    choose    to   value 
them  at." 

"A  good  joke  that  would  be  !  Do  you  take  me  for  a 
tailor  ?  " 

"By  no  means;  but  I  should  be  extremely  pained  to 
be  thought  a  thief.  That  is  not  my  character  at  all." 

"Faith,  I  see  that  you  are  an  honest  young  fellow  — 
but  you  are  very  thoughtless.  Still,  even  if  I  were 
inclined  to  be  angry,  the  thing  is  done,  and  can't  be 
helped.  I  see  very  well  that  your  health  is  good,  for,  by 
Jove,  you  have  a  magnificent  color !  And  what  hair ! 
Ah,  my  fine  fellow,  I  recognize  the  perfume  of  my  hair- 
powder  !  But  how  the  devil  did  you  get  into  the  ball- 
room without  an  invitation  ?  for  your  style  of  travelling- 
dress  does  not  indicate  —  " 

"That  I  belong  in  good  society,  you  were  going  to 
say?  Oh,  say  so!  I  am  not  all  susceptible  on  that 
point." 

"  But,  after  all,  I  don't  know  anything  about  it.  The 
clothes  don't  make  the  man.  You  have  a  very  aris- 
tocratic hand.  Come — out  with  it !  Who  are  you?  If 
there's  a  romance,  I'm  fond  of  romantic  stories ;  and  if 
there's  a  secret — well,  your  face  pleases  me,  and  I 
promise  to  be  as  discreet  —  as  discreet  as  a  lawyer  — 
more  could  not  be  said." 

"I  do  not  doubt  your  discretion,  Monsieur  Goefle," 
said  Cristiano,  "  and  besides,  I  have  no  secrets  that 
I  need  hesitate  to  reveal  to  a  man  of  sense  and  char- 
acter* but  I  give  you  notice  that  my  story  is  rather 
long,  and  the  stove  is  almost  entirely  cold.  And  to  tell 
you  the  truth,  although  I  had  a  very  good  supper  last 
night,  my  appetite  always  wakes  up  as  soon  as  I  do  ; 
and  I  already  feel  some  twinges." 

"How  do  you  suppose  I  feel,  then?"  said  the  lawyer  ; 
"for  I  am  always  in  the  habit  of  taking  my  tea  in  bed,  as 
soon  as  I  wake.  That  blockhead  of  an  Ulphilas  has 
abandoned  me  altogether.  There  are  the  very  same 
dishes  on  the  table  .that  were  there  last  night." 

"Thanks  to  me,  then,  Monsieur  Goefle;  for  I  recog- 


THE   SNOW  MAN.  H9 

nize  the  same  ham  and  fish  that  I  purloined  out  of  the 
kitchen  of  your  friend  M.  Ulph  —  what  is  his,  name?" 

"Ulph;  for  Ulphilas.  Yes,  that  is  quite  ^correct. 
Hereabouts,  they  abridge  all  names.  They  make  mono- 
syllables of  them  all,  apparently  for  fear  that  otherwise, 
when  they  called  anybody,  half  of  his  name  should 
freeze  in  the  air.  If  I  am  indebted  to  you  for  my 
supper,  then,  I  must  conclude  that  this  said  Ulph  would 
have  let  me  perish  of  hunger  —  he!  he!  —  in  this  very 
room,  about  which  there  is  already  one  story  of  the  kind. 
Perhaps  the  rascal  meant  to  leave  me  to  the  same  fate, 
so  as  to  make  sure  that  the  room  should  deserve  its  rep- 
utation." 

"Is  it  the  Baroness  Hilda  who  starved  to  death  here, 
Monsieur  Goefle  ?  " 

"Ah,  you  have  heard  of  it,  then?  It  is  only  a  story, 
thank  God  !  Let  us  think  about  our  breakfast.  I  will 
call  some  one." 

"  No,  Monsieur  Goefle.  Ulph  will  certainly  come  im- 
mediately. Besides,  if  you  want  anything  more,  let  me 
go  and  get  it.  There's  nothing  like  choosing  your  own 
bill  of  fare ;  but  this  bear's  ham,  or  boar's  ham,  this 
smoked  tongue  and  roast  game,  which  you  hardly  be- 
gan on  last  night  —  don't  they  appeal  to  you  any  longer 
this  morning  ?  " 

"Of  course  they  do — of  course;  and  there's  more 
here  now  than  we  two  can  eat>  WelL,  as  the  table  is 
set,  shall  we  take\ breakfast,  hey?" 

"  That  will  suit  me  exactly  ;  but  allow  me  to  step  into 
a  corner  and  make  my  toilette — or  rather  to  unmake  it, 
for  I  am  still  —  " 

"In  my  clothes?  I  see  that  well  enough.  Well,  as 
you  are  in  them,  stay  there^  Only,  take  the  pelisse  off 
and  put  the  coat  on,  or  you  will  be  smothered  while  you 
are  eating." 

Cristiano  first  refurnished  the  stove  with  fuel,  and 
lighted  it.  Then,  having  washed  his  hands  and  face 
with  much  care  and  neatness  in  a  corner  of  the  room, 
he  took  his  place,  and  began  to  carve  the  cold  meats  in  a 
style  that  showed  him  to  be  a  master  of  the  art. 


I20  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

"It's  curious,"  remarked  M.  Goefle  ;  "you  have  what 
they  would  call  in  France  the  manner  of  a  perfect  gen- 
tleman, and  yet  that  old  coat  of  yours  there  — " 

"Indicates  misfortune,  and  not  poverty,"  answered  the 
adventurer,  quietly.  "Eight  days  ago  I  was  very  de- 
cently equipped,  and  could  have  appeared  at  the  ball 
without  any  embarrassment." 

"Very  possibly,"  said  M.  Goefle,  seating  himself,  and 
beginning  to  make  good  use  of  his  handsome  teeth ; 
"just  as  it  is  quite  possible  that  you  are  getting  ready  for 
one  more  of  those  romances  that  travelling  adventurers 
excel  in.  It  is  all  the  same  to  me,  if  it  is  amusing." 

"Come,"  said  Cristiano,  laughing,  "in  what  lan- 
guage shall  I  recite  my  tale?" 

"  Faith,  in  Swedish,  as  that  is  your  own  language. 
You  are  a  Swede,  and  a  Dalecarliau  too  ;  I  see  that 
plainly  enough,  by  your  face." 

"But  I  am  not  Swedish,  though  ;  Icelandic,  rather." 

"Rather?  are  you  not  sure?  " 

"Not  the  least  in  the  world.  Therefore,  as  Latin  is 
the  universal  language,  if  you  please — " 

And  Cristiano  continued  in  elegant  and  correct  Latin, 
speaking  it  with  the  greatest  facility. 

"Very  well  done,  indeed!"  said  the  advocate,  who 
had  listened  kindly  and  attentively ;  "  but  your  Ital- 
ian pronunciation  hinders  me  a  little  in  following  your 
Latin." 

"  Probably  there  would  be  the  same  difficulty  in  Greek 
and  German,"  suggested  Cristiano,  changing  first  to  the 
dead,  and  then  to  the  living,  language,  with  equal  ease 
and  correctness,  and  interspersing  with  his  discourse 
quotations  enough  to  prove  that  he  was  versed  in  both 
ancient  and  modern  literature. 

"  Bravo  !."  cried  the  doctor  ;  "  you  are  a  highly  edu- 
cated young  fellow,  I  see*  And  French — do  you  know 
that  also?"' 

"French  and  English,  at  your  service,"  said  Cristiauo. 
"  I  was  taught  them  all ;  and  my  own  preference  led  me 
to  the  study  of  languages." 

"  Well,  then,  speak  French,"  said  M.  Goefle,  who  was 


THE   SNOW  MAN.  121 

hardly  less  of  a  polyglot  than  Cristiauo.  "  I  love  Italy, 
but  I  adore  France.  She  is  our  ally,  useful  or  not ;  and, 
above  all,  she  is  the  antagonist  of  Russia,  which  I  hold 
in  execration." 

u  Great  heavens  !  so  do  I.  I  am  anti-Russian  ever 
since  I  came  into  Sweden  ;  and  especially  since  last  even- 
ing. But  now,  doctor,  permit  me  to  beg  you  not  to  take 
me  for  a  pedant.  The  reason  that  I  ventured  to  display 
my  poor  acquirements  before  a  Professor  of  the  Faculty 
of  Lund  is,  that  when  you  saw  me  carving  that  hani  rather 
skilfully,  you  asked,  in  your  own  mind,  whether  I  was  not 
an  ex-steward  or  butler  from  a  good  family,  discharged 
in  disgrace,  and  on  the  lookout  for  victims." 

"  There  now !  Did  you  really  guess  that  that  idea 
was  passing  through  mv  mind  ?  Well.  I  confess  it ;  and 
I  see  now  that  if  you  have  been  employed  in  good  families, 
it  has  by  no  means  been  in  a  lackey's  place." 

"Oh,  Mon  Dieu,  monsieur!"  answered  Cristiano ; 
u  lackey  or  professor,  it  is  very  much  the  same  thing 
with  some  people,  except  the  difference  of  a  grade  more 
or  less." 

"  Oh  no !  not  in  Sweden,  my  friend ;  the  devil !  no 
indeed ;  not  here." 

"  I  knoAV  it,  monsieur.  Your  people  are  fond  of  pro- 
found studies,  and  the  promotion  of  knowledge  is  nowhere 
more  nobly  encouraged  ;  but  in  other  countries  it  often 
happens — "  v 

Ilere  Cristiano  was  interrupted  by  the  entrance  of 
Ulphilas  with  breakfast.  Seeing  the  table  already  set,  he 
halted  in  stupid  astonishment. 

u  You  see,  blockhead,"  cried  M.  Goefle,  gayly,  guessing 
the  reason  of  his  surprise,  "  my  kobold  has  waited  on 
me  in  your  place ;  and  it's  well  for  me  he  did,  for  you 
have  left  me  entirely  alone  this  twelve  hours." 

Ulph,  or  Ulf — for  there  is  sufficient  authority  for 
either  form  of  the  word  —  tried  to  excuse  himself; 
but  the  consolation  which  he  had  sought  in  the  bottle  the 
evening  before  had  entirely  obscured  his  faculties,  and  he 
found  it  very  hard  to  give  any  reasons  for  his  neglect. 
As  a  general  thing,  Ulph  became  comfortable  enough  iu 


I22  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

his  mind  by  daybreak,  and  for  the  five  hours  or  there- 
abouts following  the  late  sunrise  of  winter,  he  was  no 
more  cowardly  or  awkward  than  other  people.  His  ex- 
cessive libations  had  'no  doubt'  an  effect  upon  his  dull 
brains  at  all  times  ;  but  as  he  could  nevertheless  perform 
his  domestic  duties  with  the  proper  mechanical  regular- 
ity, this  was  neither  troublesome  to  others  nor  disquieting 
to  himself.  On  the  present  occasion,  he  stammered,  in 
the  Dalecarlian  dialect,  some  words  of  stupid  surprise  at 
seeing  the  dishes  displayed  upon  the  table,  and  an  un- 
known individual  seated  with  the  doctor. 

"  Come,"  said  the  doctor,  "  wait  upon  this  gentleman 
as  you  do  upon  myself.  He  is  a  friend  of  mine  whom 
I  have  accommodated  in  my  lodging." 

"  Yes,  sir,"  said  Ulph,  "  I  have  nothing  to  say  against 
that ;  but  the  thing  is  that  the  horse  —  " 

"  Horse  yourself!  "  exclaimed  Cristiano,  who  had  al- 
ready picked  up  somewhere  a  few  words  of  Dalecarlian, 
and  who  saw  himself  threatened  by  a  terrible  revelation. 

"  Yes,  sir,  horse  myself,"  replied  Ulph.  with  resigna- 
tion. "  But  the  sleigh  —  " 

"What  about  the  sleigh?"  said  the  doctor;  "have 
you  cleaned  it  ?  Have  you  rubbed  down  my  horse  ?  " 

The  word  horse  again  striking  Cristiano's  ear,  he 
turned  towards  Ulph,  and  looked  at  him,  aside,  with  such 
a  terrific  expression,  that  the  poor  stupefied  fellow,  quite 
losing  his  self-command,  stammered  in  reply : 

"  Yes,  yes,  sir  ;  horse,  sleigh.     It's  all  right." 

"  Very  well,  then,  go  on  with  the  breakfast,"  said  the 
doctor,  reassured.  "  Give  us  the  tobacco,  Ulph,  and  let 
the  tea-kettle  alone.  We  will  make  the  tea  for  our- 
selves." 

As  Ulph  accordingly  turned  to  the  stove  to  set  down  the 
tea-kettle,  Cristiano  stepped  after  him,  as  if  to  superin- 
tend the  operation,  and  tuvning  towards  him,  said  in  his 
ear,  in  Dalecarlian,  and  with  another  terrifying  glance  : 

"  Horse,  sleigh,  new  chateau  —  quick  !  " 

Upon  this  Ulph  took  it  into  his  head  that  in  his  drunk- 
enness he  must  have  received  some  orders  which  he  had 
not  executed ;  so  he  hurried  off,  put  on  his  skates,  and 


THE   SNOW  MAN.  133 

went  over  to  the  new  chateau  to  look  for  Loki  through 
the  noisy  stables,  overcrowded  with  grooms  and  horses. 

Our  doctor  of  laws  did  not  eat  so  gluttonously  as  the 
doctor  of  sciences,  Stangstadius.  He  took  his  time,  and 
savored  and  passed  judgment  upon  every  dish,  accord- 
ing to  the  great  principles  which  govern  the  application 
of  the  culinary  art  to  the  lofty  needs  of  the  choicer  class 
of  stomachs.  At  the  end  of  a  further  half  hour  of  con- 
versation, with  experiments,  on  the  subject,  he  and  Cris- 
tiano,  as  they  looked  at  each  other,  perceived  each  a  rosy 
reflection  upon  the  other's  face. 

"  There  it  is  at  last ! "  said  the  doctor  ;  "  the  sun  is  just 
coming  above  the  horizon." 

He  looked  at  his  watch. 

"A  quarter  before  ten,"  he  observed.  "Come,  this 
Mora  watch  does  very  well.  See,  this  is  of  home  man- 
ufacture. Our  Dalecarlians  make  everything.  They 
make  all  their  own  tools,  from  the  simplest  to  the  most 
complicated.  But  don't  put  out  the  candle,  it  will  be 
convenient  while  we  are  smoking ;  and  besides,  in  the 
winter,  I  like  to  watch  the  doubtful,  fantastic  mingling 
of  the  sunlight  and  the  artificial  light  struggling  together 
in  the  room.  Why,  the  clock's  striking !  You  wound 
it  up  last  evening,  then  ?  " 

u  Certainly.     Did  you  not  observe  it?" 

"  I  did  not  observe  anything.  I  was  sleeping  while 
standing  up,  or  else  I  was  dreaming.  Perhaps  it  is  only 
a  dream  that  I  came  in  here  and  took  supper.  No 
matter.  Can  you  make  tea?  " 

"  No  ;  but  coffee  to  perfection." 

"Very  well,  make  some.  I  will  take  charge  of  the 
tea." 

"  Are  you  fond  of  such  an  insipid,  melancholy  drink?" 

"Yes, — | diluted  with  a  full  third  of  brandy  or  old 
rum." 

"Ah,  that  makes  a  difference!'  Doctor,  I  am  sur- 
prised at  finding  here  a  table  as  well  spread  as  if  at  Paris 
or  London." 

"Well,  why  not?     Are  we  at  the  end  of  the  world? 


I24  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

It  is  only  six  hours'  sail  to  Prussia,  where  they  live  just 
as  they  do  in  Paris." 

"  Yes  ;  but  off  at  the  furthest  end  of  this  province,  sixty 
or  seventy  leagues  away  inland,  and  in  so  poor  a  country  —  " 

"  So  poor !  Do  you  think  a  country  must  be  poor 
because  it  is  not  well  adapted  to  tillage  ?  You  forget  that, 
amongst  us,  wealth  lies  under  the  ground,  not  above  it ; 
and  that  the  mines  of  Dalecarlia  are  the  very  treasury  of 
Sweden.  You  have  noticed  that  this  region,  bordering 
on  Norway,  is  thinly  peopled,  and  you  have  concluded 
that  it  would  not  support  a  larger  population.  Let  me  tell 
you  that  if  the  government  only  knew  how  to  develop  its 
resources,  and  had  the  power  to  do  so,  our  mineral  wealth 
would  afford  the  means  of  increasing  a  hundredfold  our 
prosperity,  and  the  number  of  our  inhabitants.  One  day, 
things  will  go  better  Avith  us,  if  we  can  only  escape,  on 
the  one  hand,  from  the  claws  of  England,  whose  intrigues 
oppress  us,  and,  on  the  other,  from  the  pincers  of  Russia, 
who  paralyzes  us  with  her  threats.  In  the  meanwhile, 
my  son,  understand  that  if  there  are  poor  people  amongst 
us,  it  is  not  the  fault  of  this  good  land  of  God  s,  so  much 
calumniated  by  the  ignorance,  indifference,  or  false  no- 
tions of  the  men  who  inhabit  it.  People  here  complain 
of  the  severity  of  the  winter  and  the  hardness  of  the 
rocks.  But  there  is  a  warm  heart  down  underneath  in 
the  earth  !  Dig  down  anywhere,  yes,  I  guarantee  you, 
anywhere,  and  you  will  come  upon  some  of  the  innu- 
merable veins  of  valuable  metals  that  ramify  through- 
out beneath  our  feet.  With  those  metals  we  can  buy 
all  the  rarities,  all  the  luxuries,  all  the  productions  of 
Europe,  if  we  only  have  arms  enough  to  lift  the  wealth 
to  the  surface  of  the  ground.  We  complain  of  the  earth, 
when  it  is  men  who  are  wanting.  It  is  she  who  ought  to 
complain  of  us,  rather  !  " 

"  God  forbid  that  I  should  speak  ill  of  Sweden,  my 
dear  Monsieur  Goefle  !  I  only  say  that  there  are  great 
areas  of  land  lying  uncultivated  and  waste,  and  that  what 
few  inhabitants  there  are,  are  so  frugal  that  the  traveller 
can  tind  nothing  at  all  to  eat  except  gruel  and  milk;  — 
healthful  food,  no  doubt,  but  not  much  calculated  to  stim- 


THE   SNOW  MAN.  125 

ulate  the  imagination  or  to  give  energy  to  the  char- 
acter." 

"  There  you  completely  deceive  yourself  again,  my  dear 
fellow  !  This  region  may  be  called  the  very  head  and 
heart  of  Sweden ;  an  enthusiastic  head,  full  of  strange 
poetry,  and  sublime  or  graceful  imaginations  ;  an  ardent 
and  generous  heart,  where  the  main  artery  of  patriotism 
is  throbbing.  Are  you  familiar  with  its  history  ?  " 

'rYes  indeed !  Gustavus  Vasa,  Gustavus  Adolphus, 
Charles  XII.,  all  the  Swedish  heroes,  have  always  found 
men  in  the  heart  of  these  mountains,  though  all  the  rest 
of  the  nation  might  be  enslaved  or  corrupted.  It  is  this 
glorious  nook  of  the  earth,  this  Switzerland  of  the  north, 
that  in  every  great  crisis  has  supplied  loyalty,  energy,  and 
salvation  to  the  country." 

"  Very  well  said  !  Well  then,  admit  that  the  national 
gruel  and  barren  and  icy  rocks  may  bring  forth  and  train  up 
poets  and  heroes  !  " 

As  he  said  this,  the  doctor  of  laws  drew  his  soft  wadded 
dressing-gown  around  him,  and  poured  into  his  boiling 
hot  and  well-sweetened  cup  of  tea,  a  half-glass  of  the  best 
quality  of  rum.  Cristiano  was  enjoying  the  flavor  of 
an  exquisite  cup  of  Mocha,  and  they  both  burst  out  laugh- 
ing at  their  enthusiasm  for  the  cold  of  the  mountains  and 
the  gruel  of  hovels. 

"  Ah  !  "  said  M.  Goefle,  becoming  serious  again,  "the 
fact  is,  we  are  degenerate  men.  We  must  have  our 
stimulants  and  tonics  nowadays.  That  proves  that  the 
most  accomplished  or  the  most  famous  of  us  all  is  inferior 
to  the  lowest  peasant  of  these  savage  mountains.  But 
will  not  that  animal  of  an  Ulphilas  bring  us  any  tobacco? 
That  fellow  ^s  a  perfect  brute  !  " 

Cristiano  laughed  again,  and  M.  Goefle,  perceiving  the 
inconsistency  of  eulogizing  sobriety  and  equality  just  at 
that  moment,  allowed  himself  to  be  appeased,  especially 
when  he  espied  the  tobacco-jar  at  his  elbow.  Ulph  had 
brought  it,  with  his  usual  mechanical  precision,  and  had 
omitted  to  say  so,  from  his  utter  lack  of  spontaneity. 

"Well,  come,"  said  M.  Goefle — extending  himself  in 
the  arm-chair  for  more  commodious  digestion,  and  smoking 


I26  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

a  magnificent  Turkish  pipe,  whose  bowl  he  rested  upon 
a  projection  of  the  stove,  while  Cristiano,  sometimes 
standing,  sometimes  sitting,  sometimes  astride  his  chair, 
smoked  his  short  travelling-pipe  with  more  speed  and  less 
tranquillity  —  "come,  my  problematic  comrade,  tell  me 
this  true  history  of  yours,  if  you  can." 

"Here  it  is,  then,"  said  Cristiano.  "  My  name  is  — 
or  at  least  I  go  by  the  name  of  Cristiano  del  Lago  !  " 

"  Chretien  du  Lac?  Christian  of  the  Lake?  Why  so 
romantic  a  name  ?  " 

"  Ah,  there  you  have  me  !  Chi  lo  sa  f  Who  knows? 
as  they  say  in  my  country.  It  is  altogether  a  romance, 
no  doubt,  without  a  word  of  trutli  in  it.  I  will  tell  it  to 
you  as  it  was  told  to  me. 

"In  some  country  —  I  don't  know  what  —  by  the  side 
of  a  lake  whose  name  I  have  never  known,  a  lady — ugly 
or  handsome,  rich  or  poor,  noble  or  plebeian  —  either  in 
consequence  of  a  legitimate  connection  or  of  an  unfortu- 
nate mischance — gave  birth  to  an  infant  whose  existence, 
it  seems,  it  was  very  necessary  to  conceal.  By  means 
of  a  cord  and  a  basket  —  these  details  were  told  me  with 
much  precision  —  this  lady,  or  her  confidential  companion, 
lowered  the  poor  little  new-born  child  into  a  boat,  waiting 
below  either  by  chance,  or  in  pursuance  of  some  arrange- 
ment made  secretly.  As  to  the  lady,  I  have  never  met 
any  one  who  could  inform  me  what  became  of  her  ;  and 
where  should  I  have  made  inquiries?  As  to  the  child,  it 
was  carried  away  secretly,  I  do  not  know  whither,  and 
maintained,  I  do  not  know  how,  until  old  enough  to  be 
weaned,  when  it  Avas  carried  away  again,  I  don't  know 
by  whom,  into  another  country — " 

"  I  don't  know  what ! "  said  M.  Goefle,  laughing. 
"  Your  statements  are  a  little  vague.  I  should  be  a  good 
deal  troubled  with  such  evidence,  to  gain  your  cause." 

'•  My  cause?" 

"  Yes ;  I  am  supposing  that  you  are  going  to  law 
to  recover  your  name,  your  rights,  your  inheritance." 

"  Oh,  make  yourself  easy  about  that,  Monsieur  Goefle," 
replied  Cristiano  ;  "  you  will  never  have  a  cause  to  plead 
for  me.  I  have  noue  of  the  ordinary  foolishness  of  adveu- 


THE  SNOW  MAN.  127 

turers  of  mysterious  birth,  who  assume,  at  the  very 
least,  to  be  the  sons  of  kings,  and  who  spend  their 
whole  lives  in  hunting  all  over  the  world  for  their  illustrious 
relatives,  without  remembering  that  they,  most  probably, 
would  find  it  more  inconvenient  than  agreeable  to  be  rec- 
ognized. For  my  part,  if  I  happen  to  be  of  a  noble  family 
I  don't  know  it,  and  I  don't  trouble  myself  about  it.  My 
adopted  parents  entertained  this  same  indifference,  or 
rather  they  inspired  me  with  it." 

'l  And  who  were  your  adopted  parents?" 

"  I  have  never  known,  and  I  have  no  recollection  who 
the  persons  were  who  received  me  from  the  window  into 
the  boat,  who  kept  me  at  nurse,  and  who  carried  me  into 
Italy.  They  may  all  have  been  of  the  same  family  — 
perhaps  it  was  one  and  the  same  person —  I  can't  tell  any- 
thing at  all  about  it.  My  only  real  adopted  parents  were 
Signor  Goffredi,  an  antiquary  and  professor  of  ancient 
history  at  Perugia,  and  his  excellent  wife,  Sophia  Goffredi, 
whom  I  loved  like  a  mother." 

"But  where  and  from  whom  did  these  good  people 
receive  you?  They  must  have  told  you  — " 

"They  never  knew.  They  had  a  small  fortune,  and 
having  no  children,  they  had  several  times  shown  a  de- 
sire to  adopt  some  poor  orphan.  One  evening,  in  carni- 
val time,  a  man  in  a  mask  presented  himself  to  them, 
and  took  from  under  his  cloak  the  individual  who  now 
has  the  honor  to  address  you,  but  who  has  not  the  least 
recollection  in  the  world  of  the  occurrence,  and  could 
give  no  explanation  of  it  at  the  time ;  inasmuch  as  he 
then  spoke  a  language  that  nobody  could  understand." 

"But,"  interrupted  the  advocate,  who  was  listening  to 
this  story  with  the  same  attention  that  he  would  have 
bestowed  upon  the  progress  of  a  cause  in  court,  "  what 
was  the  tenor  of  the  words  used  by  the  masked  person 
who  presented  you  to  Professor  Goffredi  and  his  wife?" 

"  Here  they  are,  as  they  were   repeated  to  me :    '  I 
come  from  a  distance— -a  great  distance.     I  am  poor, 
and  have  been  obliged  to  spend  part  of  the  money  given 
me  with    this  child,    in  travelling.     I   thought   myself 
bound  to  do  this,  for  I  had  been   ordered  to  carry  him 


I28  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

far  away,  very  far,  from  his  and  my  own  country. 
Here  is  the  rest  of  the  money.  I  have  heard  that  you 
were  looking  for  a  child  to  adopt,  and  I  know  you  will 
bring  him  up  happy  and  well-educated.  Will  you  re- 
ceive this  poor  orphan?' " 

"The  professor  did  receive  it?" 

"  He  accepted  the  child  and  refused  the  money.  '  If 
I  want  a  child  to  bring  up,'  he  said,  '  it  is  my  duty 
to  provide  for  him  ;  not  his  for  me  ! ' ' 

"  And  had  he  not  curiosity  enough  to  inform  himself —  ?  " 

"  He  could  obtain  no  information  except  on  one  point 
—  whether  or  no  the  child  was  likely  to  be  re- 
claimed. He  wanted  to  feel  that  it  was  wholly  his ; 
for  he  did  not  wish  to  become  attached  to  the  little 
creature,  and  then  some  day  or  other  have  it  taken 
away.  The  unknown  swore  to  him  that  no  one  would 
ever  reclaim  me;  'and,'  he  added,  'the  proof  is  that 
I  have  brought  him  more  than  five  hundred  leagues, 
for  the  express  purpose  of  causing  every  trace  of  him 
to  be  lost.  The  child,'  he  continued,  '  would  be  in 
the  utmost  danger,  even  here,  if  his  whereabouts  should 
be  discovered.  Ask  me  no  questions,  therefore,  I  shall 
not  answer  them  ! '  And  he  insisted  upon  leaving  with 
them  the  small  sum  in  question,  which  amounted  to  two 
or  three  hundred  sequins." 

"  Italian  money?" 

"Foreign  gold  coins  of  various  countries,  as  if  the 
unknown  had  crossed  the  whole  of  Europe,  and  had 
taken  pains  to  convert  his  money  into  all  sorts  of  pieces, 
so  as  to  disappoint  search  or  supposition. 

"  The  Goffredis  reminded  him  that  he  was  poor  ;  he  had 
said  so,  and  his  whole  appearance  showed  it.  It  was 
only  just,  they  thought,  that  he  should  be  rewarded  for 
taking  such  a  long  journey,  and  fulfilling  so  faithfully  his 
orders  about  my  removal.  These  offers  he  refused 
with  obstinacy,  and  austerely.  He  departed  very  ab- 
ruptly, saying,  to  prevent  further  questions,  that  he 
would  return  nex.t  day.  He  did  not  return,  however; 
nothing  further  was  ever  heard  of  him ;  and  so  I  re- 


THE   SNOW  MA.V. 


129 


mained  intrusted,  or,  more  properly,  abandoned,  thank 
God,  to  the  care  of  M.  and  Madame  Goffredi." 

"But  the  history  of  the  lake,  the  window  and  the 
boat  —  where  the  deuce  did  you  get  that?" 

u  Wait  a  moment.  When  I  was  five  or  six  years  old  — 
I  was  apparently  three  or  four  when  I  made  my  entry 
into  Perugia  under  the  cloak  of  the  man  in  the  mask^- 
I  had  a  fall,  and  was  for  a  time  thought  to  be  dead.  It 
was  not  very  serious,  after  all.  But  among  the  friends 
of  my  adopted  family  who  came  to  inquire  after  me, 
there  slipped  in  a  little  Jew,  whether  baptized  or  not  I 
do  not  know,  who  lived  in  Perugia,  and  traded  with  vis- 
itors, in  objects  of  art  and  antiquity.  My  parents  dis- 
liked him  because  he  was  a  Jew  ;  for  in  Italy,  as  here, 
a  strong  prejudice  prevails  against  that  people.  This 
Jew  inquired  about  me  anxiously,  and  even  insisted  on 
seeing  me,  so  as  to  be  satisfied  as  to  my  condition. 

"  A  year  afterwards,  we  spent  the  summer  in  the  country, 
and  on  our  return  to  the  city,  he  came  again  to  obtain  fur- 
ther information  about  me,  and  to  see  with  his  own  eyes 
whether  1  had  grown,  and  was  well.  My  parents  were  ex- 
tremely surprised  at  this,  and  insisted  on  knowing  why  he 
took  so  much  interest  in  me.  They  threatened  to  exclude 
him  from  the  house  unless  he  gave  a  satisfactory  account  of 
the  matter ;  for  they  were  already  fond  of  me,  and  were 
afraid  that  this  Jew  might  mean  to  carry  me  off.  Upon 
this  he  confessed,  or  pretended,  that  he  had  chanced  to 
receive  at  his  house  the  man  in  the  mask,  on  the  day  of 
his  arrival  in  the  city,  and  had  extracted  certain  confi- 
dential disclosures  from  him  about  me.  These  disclo- 
sures, vague,  improbable,  and  utterly  useless,  were  the 
statements  with  which  I  began  my  story.  Probably 
they  are  not  entitled  to  any  credit  whatever.  My  adop- 
tive mother  paid  very  little  attention  to  them,  but 
thinking  the  adventure  somewhat  romantic,  she  gave 
me  the  surname  of  del  Lago,  which  I  have  for  a  long 
time  used  as  my  real  name." 

"But  the  baptismal  name,  Christian,  Christin,  Chrh.- 
tiern,  Chretien,  Cristiano,  who  gave  you  that?" 

"The  man  in  the  mask,  without  adding  any  other.'" 


!3o  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

"Did  this  man  speak  Italian?" 

"  Very  imperfectly.  His  difficulty  in  explaining  him- 
self added  not  a  little  to  the  mystery  about  me." 

"But  what  sort  of  accent  had  he?" 

"Professor  Goffredi  had  occupied  himself  with  the 
dead  languages  only.  His  wife,  like  himself  a  highly 
educated  person,  knew  a  good  deal  about  living  lan- 
guages, but  she  found  it  impossible  to  decide  to  what 
nationality  this  man's  accent  belonged." 

"And  the  little  Jew,  what  did  he  think?" 

"If  he  had  any  opinion  about  it,  he  never  thought 
proper  to  tell  it." 

"  Were  your  parents  quite  sure  he  was  not  himself  the 
man  in  the  mask?" 

"Quite  certain.  The  man  in  the  mask  was  of  middle 
size,  while  the  Jew  was  not  five  feet  high.  Nor  had 
their  voices  or  accents  anything  of  similarity.  I  see, 
Monsieur  Goefle,  that,  like  my  poor  friends  the  Goffre- 
dis,  you  are  asking  yourself  all  sorts  of  questions 
about  me ;  but  what  difference  would  it  make,  let  me 
ask  you,  even  if  you  could  answer  them  ? " 

"Very  true;  what  difference  would  it  make?"  an- 
swered M.  Goefle.  "Perhaps  you  may  not  be  worth  the 
pains  I  have  been  taking  this  hour  past  to  put  you  in  the 
way  of  discovering  your  family.  It  is  from  a  profes- 
sional habit  of  mind  :  let  us  say  no  more  about  it ;  par- 
ticularly as  in  all  that  you  have  told  me  there  is  not  a 
single  definite  fact  to  serve  as  Tthe  basis  for  framing  inge- 
nious and  learned  deductions.  Wait,  however  ;  —  what 
was  done  with  the  money  of  the  man  in  the  mask  ?  " 

"My  good  parents,  imagining  that  it  may  have  been 
the  hire  of  a  kidnapper,  or  the  reward  of  some  other 
crime,  and  believing,  therefore,  that  it  could  not  bring  me 
good  fortune,  hastened  to  deposit  it  in  the  box  for  the 
poor  in  the  cathedral  of  Perugia." 

"But  you  mentioned  that  you  yourself  spoke  some 
language  when  you  were  brought  there." 

"Certainly  ;  but  I  quickly  forgot  it,  as  there  was  no 
oue  for  me  to  talk  to  in  it.  I  only  know  that  a  German 
philologist,  who  was  visiting  us  next  year,  tried  to  un- 


THE   SNOW  MAN.  131 

ravel  the  mystery,  at  which  time  I  had  a  good  deal  of 
trouble  to  remember  a  few  words  of  this  old  language  of 
mine.  The  linguist  said  it  was  a  northern  dialect,  and 
somewhat  like  Icelandic ;  but  my  black  hair  seemed  in 
a  measure  to  invalidate  that  conclusion.  The  attempt 
to  discover  the  facts  was  given  up.  My  adoptive  mother 
wished  to  make  me  forget  all  about  any  other  country 
or  family.  You  may  easily  suppose  she  had  little  diffi- 
culty in  accomplishing  her  object." 

"  One  question  more,"  said  M.  Goefle.*  "  I  cannot  feel 
thoroughly  interested  in  a  story  until  I  am  well  possessed 
of  the  beginning  of  it.  These  recollections,  that  faded  of 
themselves  so  naturally,  and  which  your  friends  tried, 
moreover,  to  help  you  lose  —  does  there  remain  abso- 
lutely nothing  of  them?" 

"There  is  something,  but  so  vague  that  I  cannot  tell 
whether  it  is  not  merely  a  dream.  It  is  a  recollection  of 
a  strange,  wild  country,  even  grander  in  its  features  than 
this  around  me." 

"A  cold  country?" 

"  That  I  do  not  know.  Children  seldom  feel  the  cold, 
and  I  was  never  very  sensitive  to  it." 

"  What  else  was  there  in  your  dream  ?  Sunshine  ?  snow  ?  " 

"I  don't  know.     Tall  trees,  herds  of  cows,  I  think." 

"  Tall  trees  —  that  is  not  Iceland.  And  what  do  you 
remember  of  the  journey  to  Italy?  " 

"  Absolutely  nothing.  I  believe  my  companion,  or 
companions,  were  strangers  to  me  when  we  set  out." 

"  Well,  go  on  with  your  story." 

"That  is,/ 1  will  begin  it,  Monsieur  Goefle  ;  for,  so  far, 
I  have  only  been  telling  you  the  mysterious  circumstan- 
ces with  which,  as  the  poets  say,  my  cradle  was  sur- 
rounded. I  will  begin  with  the  first  clearly-defined 
recollection  in  my  mind.  This  is  —  pray  do  not  be  scan- 
dalized —  an  ass." 

"An  ass?     A  quadruped  or  a  biped?  " 

"  A  real  ass  with  four  legs  ;  a  flesh-aud-blood  ass.  He 
was  the  favorite  animal  of  Sophia  Goffredi  for  riding, 
and  was  called  Nino,  the  diminutive  of  Giovanni.  I  was 
so  fond  of  him,  that  I  have  called  the  one  I  now  use  to 


132  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

carry  my  baggage  by  the  name  of  Jean,  in  remembrance 
of  him  who  was  the  joy  of  my  early  childhood." 

"Ah,  you  have  an  ass?  It  must  have  been  he  who 
visited  me  last  evening." 

"  And  it  was  you  who  had  him  put  in  the  stable  ?  " 

"Exactly.     You  seem  to  love  asses." 

"Fraternally.  Indeed,  I  have  been  thinking  for  a 
quarter  of  an  hour  that  mine  has,  perhaps,  not  had  his 
breakfast.  Ulph  will  be  afraid  of  him.  Perhaps  he  has 
driven  him  out  ftf  the  chateau.  The  poor  fellow  may  be 
wandering  about  in  the  ice  and  snow  at  this  very  moment, 
awakening  the  insensible  echoes  with  his  plaintive  voice. 
I  beg  pardon,  Monsieur  Goefle,  but  I  must  leave  you  for 
a  moment  and  look  after  my  ass." 

"  You  are  a  queer  fellow,"  said  M.  Goefle.  "  Well, 
be  quick,  and  give  an  eye  to  my  horse  at  the  same  time. 
He's  worth  more  than  your  ass  —  no  offence  to  you.  But 
are  you  going  out  to  the  stable  in  my  dress-coat  and  silk 
stockings  ?  " 

';  I  shall  be  back  in  a  moment." 

"  No,  no,  my  boy,  that  won't  do  at  all.  Besides,  you 
will  catch  cold.  Take  my  furred  boots  and  pelisse,  and 
be  quick ! " 

Cristiano  thankfully  obeyed,  and  found  Jean  in  very 
good  case,  coughing  less  than  on  the  day  before,  and  eat- 
ing contentedly  in  company  with  Loki,  whom  Ulph  had 
brought  back  from  the  new  chateau. 

Ulph  was  looking  at  the  ass  in  stupid  wonderment.  He 
was  beginning  to  recover  a  little  from  his  drunkenness, 
and  to  suspect  that  it  was  not  a  horse  that  he  had  so 
quietly  groomed  in  the  morning.  Cristiano,  who  had 
learned  on  the  previous  evening,  while  hunting  after  his 
supper,  what  a  superstitious  poltroon  he  had  to  deal  with, 
addressed  him  at  once  in  Italian,  accompanying  his  re- 
marks with  fierce  looks  and  absui'd  and  terrifying  gestures. 
In  this  fantastic  style,  he  ordered  the  poor  fellow  to  res- 
pect the  ass  like  a  mythological  divinity,  and  threatened 
him  with  the  most  fearful  punishment  in  case  of  dis- 
obedience. Ulph,  in  a  great  fright,  retired  in  silence,  after 
saluting  both  the  ass  and  his  master,  his  brain  full  of 


THE   SNOW  MAN, 


'33 


indistinct  notions  that  he  could  not  carry  forward  to  any 
intelligible  conclusion,  but  which  the  spirituous  indulgences 
of  the  coming  evening  would  be  sure  to  develop  into  new 
alarms  and  imaginations  more  and  more  strange. 

"  Very  well,"  continued  Cristiano,  returning  and  re- 
suming his  pipe,  his  story,  and  his  position  astride  of 
a  chair,  in  the  bear-room;  "Madame  Goffredi's  ass 
was  my  first  friend.  I  believe  no  donkey  in  the  world, 
not  even  my  own,  ever  had  such  beautiful  ears  and 
such  an  agreeable  gait.  Perhaps,  Monsieur  Goefle, 
the  reason  I  think  so  is,  that  the  first  time  that  quiet 
pace  and  those  two  long  ears  attracted  the  attention  of 
my  poor  little  undeveloped  mind,  I  was  at  the  same 
moment  instinctively  impressed  by  one  of  the  most  beau- 
tiful sights  in  the  universe.  It  was  on  the  shore  of  a 
lake.  Lakes,  you  see,  play  an  important  part  in  my  life. 
But  what  a  lake  this  was  !  The  lake  of  Perugia  —  the 
ancient  lake  Thrasymene  !  Were  you  never  in  Italy, 
Monsieur  Goefle  ?  " 

"  No,  very  much  to  my  regret.  But  as  to  lakes,  we 
have  some  here  in  Sweden  that  would  make  your  Italian 
ones  look  like  wash-basins." 

u  I  have  nothing  to  say  against  your  lakes.  I  have  al- 
ready seen  a  number  of  them.  Very  likely  they  are  beau- 
tiful in  summer,  and  even  in  winter,  with  their  mjelgars  — 
is  not  that  the  name  of  those  immense  avalanches  of 
earth  that  slide  down  to  the  water's  edge  with  their  green 
trees  standing,  their  rocks  and  strange  fractures?  —  I  ad- 
mit that  they  are  very  remarkable.  The  hoar-frost  and 
ice  that  cover  so  many  strange  forms,  and  make  a  wreath 
of  diamonds  out  of  the  smallest  blade  of  grass ;  these 
inextricable  net-works  of  brambles  that  might  be  taken 
for  immense  and  elaborate  pieces  of  work  in  cut-glass  ; 
the  glorious  red  sunlight  over  it  all ;  the  jagged  peaks 
above,  glittering  like  shafts  of  sapphire  against  the  pur- 
ple of  the  morning  —  yes,  I  confess  the  grandeur  of  all 
this  scenery.  Even  what  I  can  see  out  of  this  winovw 
is  a  picture  which  dazzles  me.  Dazzles  :  that  is  the 
word  ;  and  that  is  really  the  only  criticism  I  have  to  offer 
upon  it.  It  excites  me  —  carries  me  beyond  myself.  En- 


!34  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

thusiasm  is  good,  no  doubt ;  but  is  there  nothing  else  in 
life  ?  Has  not  man  an  immense  need  for  repose,  for  con- 
templation, without  any  sense  of  effort ;  for  that  sort  of 
soft,  delicious  revery  that  we  call  far  niente?  Well,  it  is 
clown  in  the  south,  at  such  a  place  as  lake  Thrasymene, 
that  one  feels  a  glorious  consciousness  of  mere  vegetating. 
It  was  there  that  I  grew  up  in  perfect  quiet,  without  any 
violent  changes ;  a  poor  little  weed,  transplanted,  from 
some  unknown  region,  to  those  shores,  blessed  by  the  sun- 
shine, shaded  by  the  ancient  faint-hued  olive-trees,  and, 
as  it  were,  bathed  always  in  warm  fluid  gold. 

"  We  had  —  it  is  a  sad  we  —  a  little  country-house,  or 
villetta,on  a  small  stream  called  theSanguineto,  or  Bloody 
Brook  ;  in  memory,  it  is  said,  of  the  blood  that  once  ran 
down  its  bed  from  the  field  of  the  famous  battle  of  Thras- 
ymene. Here  we  passed  all  the  pleasant  summer  weather 
in  a  delicious  rural  paradise.  There  were  no  more  corpses 
in  the  stream  ;  the  waters  of  the  Sanguineto  were  as  clear 
as  crystal.  However,  my  dear  adoptive  father  used  to  be 
absorbed  by  his  quaint  occupation  of  searching  for  bones, 
medals,  and  remains  of  armor,  of  which  great  quantities 
are  still  found  among  the  grass  and  flowers  along  the 
shore  of  the  lake.  His  wife,  who  adored  him  —  and  with 
good  reason  —  always  accompanied  him  ;  and  I,  by  this 
time  a  great  careless  boy,  whom  also,  in  their  loving 
kindness,  they  adored  —  I  used  to  roll  about  on  the  warm 
sand,  or  ride  dreaming  along  on  my  dear  mother's  lap, 
rocked  by  Nino's  even  pace. 

"  Gradually  I  came  to  perceive  and  understand  the 
splendor  of  the  days  and  nights  in  that  lovely  country. 
The  lake  is  immense.  Xot  that  it  covers  so  much  space 
as  even  the  smallest  of  yours,  but  grandeur  is  not  the 
same  as  dimension.  The  curves  of  its  outlines  are  so 
grand,  and  its  atmosphere  is  so  soft,  that  its  luminous  dis- 
tances give  an  impression  of  infinity.  I  cannot  remem- 
ber, without  emotion,  certain  sunrises  and  sunsets  that  I 
have  seen  there,  over  that  broad  mirror,  filled  with  reflec- 
tions of  headlands  crowded  with  tall,  thick  trees,  and  of 
distant  islets,  showing  as  white  as  alabaster  among  the 
rosy  waves.  And  at  night,  what  myriads  of  stars  hung 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


'35 


quivering  in  the  tranquil  water  !  How  lovely  were  the 
mists  that  climbed  the  silvery  slopes,  and  how  mysterious 
the  harmonies  that  seemed  to  creep  unobtrusively  along 
the  shores,  with  the  slight  ebb  and  flow  of  that  great  mass 
of  waters  that  seemed  afraid  of  disturbing  the  sleep  of  the 
flowers  !  With  you,  you  must  confess,  Monsieur  Goefle, 
that  nature  is  violent,  even  in  its  winter's  repose.  In 
your  mountains  everything  carries  the  marks  of  the  per- 
petual floods  of  your  spring  and  autumn.  But  there,  all 
the  terrestrial  outlines  are  certain  of  preservation  for  a 
long  time,  and  every  plant  of  maturing  in  the  place  where 
it  was  born.  In  breathing  such  an  air,  we  breathe  in 
with  it  some  similar  kindliness  of  instinct ;  the  eternal 
happiness  of  nature  diffuses  itself  in  the  soul  without  over- 
powering or  confounding  it." 

"You  have  a  poetical  vein  in  you,  evidently,"  said  M. 
Goefle  ;  "  but  are  not  the  people  of  that  beautiful  country 
dirty,  idle,  and  voluntarily  wretched?" 

"  Poverty  is  always  half  the  fault  of  the  government 
and  half  of  the  governed ;  the  blame  is  never  all  on  one 
side.  I  suppose  that  may  be  what  prevents  improvement. 
But  in  such  a  pleasant  climate,  the  poverty  produced  by 
indolence  finds  an  excuse  in  the  sensuous  pleasure  of  con- 
templative existence.  In  my  youth  I  felt  keenly  this  in- 
toxicating charm  of  the  south,  and  I  appreciated  it  all 
the  more  because  I  felt  also,  from  time  to  time,  an  excess 
of  feverish  /energy,  as  if  I  had  really  been  born  five 
hundred  leagues  away,  in  those  cold  regions  where  mind 
exerts  more  authority  over  matter." 

"  Then  you  were  not  altogether  indolent  yourself?  " 

"  I  believe  I  was  not  indolent  at  all,  for  my  parents  de- 
sired me  to  become  a  learned  man,  and,  out  of  affection 
for  them,  I  made  great  efforts  to  acquire  knowledge.  But 
I  felt  much  more  inclined  towards  the  natural  sciences, 
arts,  and  philosophy,  than  to  the  difficult  and  minute 
researches  of  the.  learned  -M.  Goffredi.  I  thought  his  line  of 
study  rather  useless,  and  was  quite  unable  to  experience 
such  a  delirium  of  joy  as  he  felt  when  we  had  succeeded 
in  determining  the  purpose  of  some  ancient  landmark  or 
deciphering  some  Etruscan  inscription.  In  other  matters 


136 


THE   SNOIV  MAN. 


he  loft  me  perfectly  free  to  follow  my  own  preferences, 
and  I  lived  with  him  in  the  pleasantest  relations  that  it  is 
possible  to  imagine.  Indulge  me  in  a  few  details  about 
this  period  of  my  life,  from  infancy  to  youth  —  the  time 
when  the  faculties  of  my  soul  were  awakening  within  me. 

"Perugia  is  a  university  city,  a  poetical  place  —  one 
of  the  old  Italian  centres  of  beauty  and  learning.  It  is 
rich  in  antiquities  and  monuments  of  all  periods  ;  it  has 
some  fine  libraries,  an  academy  of  fine  arts,  collections, 
and  so  forth.  The  city  itself  is  beautiful  and  picturesque  ; 
it  includes  more  than  a  hundred  churches  and  fifty  monas- 
teries, all  rich  in  pictures,  manuscripts,  etc.  The  Piazza 
del  Duomo  is  a  remarkable  place,  having  on  one  side  a 
rich  Gothic  cathedral,  a  fountain  by  Giovanni  de  Pisa, 
a  chef-d'oeuvre,  and  other  monuments  of  different  ages, 
and  on  the  other  a  great  palace  in  the  Venetian  style. 
This  is  a  proud  and  strange  relic  of  the  thirteenth  or  four- 
teenth century,  of  a  sombre  red,  finished  with  black  orna- 
ments in  iron,  and  with  its  doors  and  windows  pierced  with 
that  fantastic  irregularity  of  design  which  has  gone  so  en- 
tirely out  of  vogue  since  the  introduction  of  the  correct 
lines  and  pure  taste  introduced  by  the  renaissance. 

k'I  felt  a  passionate  admiration  for  what  I  may  call 
the  dramatic  physiognomy  of  this  old  palace,  though  M. 
Goffredi  despised  it  as  belonging  to  a  period  of  barbarism. 
He  admired  only  the  antique,  and  such  modern  periods  as 
are  inspired  by  the  antique.  For  my  part ,  I  plainly  confess 
that  all  these  masterpieces  of  exactly  the  same  school,  an- 
cient and  modern,  sometimes  tried  very  severely  my  power 
of  admiring.  This  predetermined  preference  of  the  Ital- 
ians for  always  going  over  that  same  old  ground  again,  and 
their  obstinate  neglect  of  exactly  the  period  when  the  na- 
tional character  was  most  freely  expressing  itself,  between 
the  absolutism  of  the  emperors  and  that  of  the  popes,  had 
become  so  consecrated  by  public  opinion,  that  you  will 
pass  there  for  a  Vandal  if  you  allow  yourself  to  use  any 
other  than  the  recognized  standards  of  excellence.* 

*  This  is  still  true,  in  a  great  measure.  During  the  last,  and  in 
the  beginning  of  this  century,  the  works  of  the  middle  ages  were 
regarded  with  general  contempt. 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


'37 


UI  was  natural  and  spontaneous  in  my  character,  and 
accordingly  I  was  often  reproved  in  consequence  of  my 
love  for  what  was  indiscriminately  called  'The Gothic'  — 
that  is,  everything  not  pertaining  to  the  ages  of  Pericles, 
Augustus,  or  Raphael.  It  was  with  some  effort,  indeed, 
that  my  adoptive  father  could  bring  himself  to  admire  the 
last  of  these  three.  His  only  enthusiasm  was  for  the 
ruins  of  Rome  ;  and  when  he  took  me  thither  he  was  sur- 
prised and  scandalized  to  hear  me  say  that  I  saw  nothing 
there  to  make  me  forget  the  royal  imaginativeness  and 
effective  grouping  of  our  own  Piazza  del  Duomo,  with  its 
great  red  and  black  palace,  its  assemblage  of  varied  splen- 
dors, and  its  narrow,  crooked  streets,  that  suddenly  plunge 
under  gloomy  arcades,  with  a  sort  of  air  of  tragic 
mystery. 

"  I  was  by  this  time  fifteen  or  sixteen  years  old,  and 
begau  to  be  able  to  explain  my  tastes  and  ideas.  I  man- 
aged to  make  my  father  understand  that  it  was  a  matter 
of  necessity  for  me  to  be  absolutely  independent  in  all 
that  related  to  taste  and  feeling.  I  could  not  help  ad- 
miring and  enjoying  all  efforts  of  genius  and  of  invention. 
I  found  it  impossible  to  imprison  my  views  within 
a  system,  an  epoch,  or  a  school.  In  a  word,  I  must  have 
liberty  to  adore  the  universe,  God,  and  that  divine  spark 
which  He  has  given  to  man,  wherever  visible  in  the  works 
of  nature  or  of  art. 

"'Thus,'  I  said  to  him,  'I  love  the  beautiful  sunshine 
ami  the  gloomy  night ;  our  own  austere  Perugino  and  the 
impetuous  Michael  Angelo  ;  the  mighty  substructures  of 
the  Romans,  and  the  delicate  pierced  work  of  the  Sar-. 
ncens.  I  love  our  own  quiet  lake  Thrasymene,  and  the' 
furious  cataract  of  Terni.  I  love  your  beloved  Etrus- 
cans and  all  your  sublime  ancients,  but  I  also  love  the 
Grcco-arabic  cathedrals  ;  I  love  equally  the  monumental 
fountain  of  Trevi,  and  the  little  brook  that  runs  between 
two  rocks  in  the  depths  of  some  rural  solitude.  Every- 
thing that  is  hew  seems  to  me  worthy  of  interest  and  of 
attention  ;  everything  is  dear  to  me  that  at  any  time  seizes 
hold  of  my  heart  or  of  my  thoughts.  Feeling  these  im- 
pulses to  admire  whatever  is  beautiful  or  sublime,  and 


'38 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


even  whatever  is  merely  charming  or  agreeable.  I  have  a 
great  repugnance  for  a  devotion  confined  to  certain  forms 
of  the  beautiful  exclusively. 

"  '  But,'  I  continued,  '  if  you  are  convinced  that  in 
this  I  am  in  a  wrong  road,  that  the  impulse  which  I  feel  — 
the  desire  for  development  in  all  directions  —  is  dangerous, 
a  symptom  of  an  ill-regulated  mental  action,  I  will  do 
my  best  to  repress  it,  and  throw  myself  entirely  into  what- 
ever course  of  study  you  may  mark  out  for  me.  I  de- 
sire, above  all  things,  to  be  what  you  wish  me  to  be  ;  but, 
my  dear  father,  before  you  cut  my  wings,  please  to  make 
yourself  certain  that  there  is  nothing  worth  preserving  in 
all  this  vain  -plumage.' 

"M.  Goifredi,  though  exclusively  devoted  to  a  very  nar- 
row range  of  studies,  was  the  most  generous  character  I 
ever  met.  He  reflected  much  about  the  matter,  and 
often  consulted  his  wife,  a  woman  of  the  divinest  sus- 
ceptibilities. Sophia  Goffredi  was  what  the  Italians  call 
a  htterata;  not  a  femme  de  lettres,  as  that  term  is  gen- 
erally understood  in  France,  but  a  woman  at  once 
cultivated,  charming,  inspired,  erudite,  simple.  She 
loved  me  so  tenderly  that  she  believed  me  a  prodigy ; 
and  these  two  excellent  friends  decided  with  one  accord 
that  my  wishes  must  be  regarded,  and  that  at  any  rate 
they  would  not  extinguish  my  fire  until  they  were  cer- 
tain whether  it  was  a  flame  from  heaven,  or  a  mere  blaze 
of  straw. 

"  What  gave  them  confidence  in  me  was,  that  this  dis- 
position of  mine  to  permit  my  mind  to  pursue  its  own 
impulses  in  every  direction,  did  not  originate  in  incon- 
stancy of  character.  I  was  warm-hearted,  and  felt 
kindly  disposed  towards  all  my  fellow-creatures,  and  yet 
I  was  not  disposed  to  waste  my  life  with  all  manner  of 
company.  My  attachments  were  exclusively  for  the  two 
persons  who  had  adopted  me,  and  whom  I  preferred  to 
all  others.  Their  society  was  my  greatest,  I  may  say 
my  only  pleasure,  apart  from  the  various  studies  that  had 
captivated  me. 

"  It  was  decided,  then,  that  my  mind  should  be  at  my 
own  disposal,  particularly  as,  all  things  considered,  it 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


'39 


was  a  pretty  good  mind  ;  and  I  was  not  obliged  to  con- 
fine myself  rigorously  to  the  university  course.  I  was 
allowed  to  take  my  own  way,  and  to  give  free  career  to 
the  enormous  facility  with  which  I  was  gifted.  Was  this 
an  error?  I  cannot  think  so.  It  is  true  that  I  might 
have  been  restricted  to  one  specialty,  which  would 
have  cased  me  up  forever  in  some  one  corner  of  art  or 
science,  where  I  should  never  have  known  privation  ; 
but  how  many  intellectual  enjoyments  should  I  have 
lost !  And  who  can  tell  whether  what  are  called  prac- 
tical ideas,  and  my  own  personal  interests,  if  forced  upon 
my  attention  in  this  way,  might  not  have  withered  all 
the  religion  of  my  heart  and  my  conscience?  You  will 
see  shortly  that  Sophia  Goffredi  had  no  reason  to  regret 
having  allowed  me  to  be  myself. 

"  My  first  conviction  was  that  I  was  born  for  litera- 
ture. Sophia  trained  me  to  write  both  in  prose  and 
verse,  and  while  still  a  child,  I  composed  several  romances 
and  comedies  in  rhyme,  which  our  circle  of  friends  were 
so  kind,  or  so  simple,  as  to  admire.  I  might  have  be- 
come very  conceited,  for  I  was  excessively  spoiled  by  all 
our  visitors ;  but  Sophia  used  often  to  tell  me  that  the 
clay  when  one  is  satisfied  with  one's  self  is  the  last  day 
of  improvement ;  and  this  simple  warning  saved  me  from 
the  foolishness  of  self-admiration.  And  besides,  I  very 
soon  saw  that  in  order  to  produce  anything  worth  while 
in  ^iterature,  I  must  know  a  great  many  things,  or  else  I 
should  merely  float  in  a  sea  of  empty  phrases.  I  read 
enormously ;  but  my  studies  in  history  and  natural 
science  caused  me  to  entirely  lose  sight  of  myself;  and 
instead  of  gathering  booty  like  a  bee,  to  make  honey  and 
wax,  I  simply  coursed  to  and  fro  through  the  vast  field 
of  human  knowledge,  merely  for  the  pleasure  of  know- 
ing and  understanding. 

"  It  was  while  thus  engaged  that  I  felt  such  a  power- 
ful impulse  towards  the  natural  sciences,  and  that  my 
desire  to  devote  my  life  to  this  pursuit  became  a  vocation 
more  definitely  resolved  upon  in  my  mind  than  the 
former  one.  With  this  ardor  for  understanding,  was 
joined  a  similar  ardor  for  observing ;  and  I  might  say 


I40  THE   SNO  W  MAN. 

that  there  awoke  iu  me  two  distinct  persons :  one  seeking 
to  discover  the  secrets  of  creation  for  the  love  of  science, 
that  is,  for  the  sake  of  humanity ;  and  the  other  seeking 
to  enjoy  the  varied  beauties  of  creation  as  a  poet  —  that 
is,  to  some  extent,  for  his  own  pleasure. 

"  From  that  moment,  I  was  possessed  by  the  idea  of 
making  long  voyages.  While  absorbed  in  studying  the 
collections  and  museums  of  Perugia,  I  was  dreaming  of 
the  antipodes ;  and  the  sight  of  a  little  stone  or  dried 
flower  would  carry  me  in  imagination  to  the  summits 
of  lofty  mountains,  or  across  vast  oceans.  I  thirsted  to 
see  the  great  cities,  the  centres  of  enlightenment,  the 
scientific  men  of  my  time,  and  great  and  precious  scien- 
tific collections.  Sophia  Goffredi  had  taught  me  French, 
German,  and  a  little  Spanish.  I  felt,  likewise,  the  neces- 
sity of  learning  the  northern  languages,  so  as  not  to  be 
a  stranger  in  any  part  of  Europe.  I  learned  English, 
Dutch,  and  particularly  Swedish,  with  extreme  rapidity. 
My  pronunciation,  however,  was  defective  ;  or  rather,  I 
had  none.  I  did  not  try  to  master  the  characteristic 
music  —  so  to  speak  —  of  languages  which  I  could  not 
hear  spoken  ;  but  relied  upon  the  correctness  of  my  ear, 
and  my  facility  in  catching  accents,  for  quickly  mastering 
the  spoken  use  of  any  language  when  necessary.  The 
event  has  shown  that  these  expectations  were  quite  jus- 
tified ;  I  only  need  fifteen  days  to  speak,  without  any 
foreign  accent,  a  language  which  I  have  studied  only  in 
books. 

"  While  I  was  thus  learning  languages,  I  was  also 
studying  drawing  and  a  little  painting  ;  in  order  to  be  able 
to  fix  permanently  my  travelling  recollections,  by  sketches 
of  sites,  remarkable  plants,  costumes,  monuments.  — 
in  short,  all  that  would  have  to  be  retained  in  the  mem- 
ory alone,  if  the  hand  had  not  the  power  to  delineate  the 
mental  conception.  Besides,  I  studied  good  writers, 
for  the  sake  of  enabling  myself  to  narrate  clearly  and 
rapidly  ;  for  I  had  often  been  displeased  at  the  obscure 
and  confused  style  of  books  of  travels.  And  so  well  did 
I  use  my  time,  Monsieur  Goefle,  that  at  eighteen,  I  was 
well  prepared,  in  virtue  of  my  knowledge,  activity, 


THE  SNOW  MAN.  141 

power  of  labor,  and  faculty  of  observation,  to  become  at 
least  a  useful,  if  not.  an  actually  scientific  man.  That 
Avas  the  happiest  time  of  my  life,  the  purest  and  SAveet- 
est.  Ah,  if  it  could  haA-e  lasted  a  feAV  years  longer,  I 
should  haAre  been  a  different  man  ! 

"  M.  Goffredi  Avas  buried  in  his  antiquarian  re- 
searches, and  did  not  directly  superintend  my  educa- 
tion. He,  hoAvever,  from  time  to  time,  revieAAred  my 
studies  Avith  me,  and  observed  me  Avith  care,  and  Avhcn 
he  Avas  satisfied  that  I  was  not  losing  my  time  and  labor, 
he  became  quite  confident  in  my  judgment.  He  had  at 
first  been  tempted  to  dissuade  me  from  trying  too  many 
things  at  once ;  but  Avhen  he  Avas  satisfied  that  all  my 
various  acquisitions  found  their  places  in  good  order  in 
my  mind,  he  began  to  dream  Avith  me  and  for  me  every- 
thing that  I  dreamed  myself.  Pie  had  himself  travelled 
before  his  marriage,  and  he  Avas  even  now  projecting 
another  archaeological  tour,  to  reach  certain  points  not 
yet  explored.  Pie  Avas  thinking  the  more  seriously  of 
this  plan,  since  receiving  a  small  inheritance  that  had 
recently  fallen  to  him,  and  Avhich  enabled  him  to  resign 
his  professorship  at  the  university.  He  had  been  for  ten 
years  employed  on  a  Avork  Avhich  he  could  not  complete 
without  visiting  the  coast  of  Africa  and  some  of  the 
Greek  Islands.  I  should  mention  that  his  way  of  work- 
ing-Avas  painful  and  slow,  for  his  style  lacked  clearness, 
and  there  Avas  also  perhaps  some  want  of  clearness  of 
thought  in  his  Avay  of  presenting  his  reasonings,  how- 
ever ingenious  in  themselves.  He  was  a  genius  Avithout 
talent. 

"He  Avas  pleased  with  the  manner  in  Avhich  I  Avrote 
up  some  pages  of  his  Avork  for  him,  and  i*esolved  to 
take  me  Avith  him,  and  have  me  write  it  all  out  after  AVC 
came  home.  I  Avas  almost  wild  Avith  delight  Avheu  he 
communicated  this  design  to  me ;  but  my  joy  was 
quickly  changed  to  sadness  at  the  idea  of  leaving  alone 
at  home  my  adoptive  mother,  that  excellent  Avoman 
Avhose  whole  life  Avas  devoted  to  us,  and  I  asked  to 
remain  with  her. 

"  She  was  grateful  to  me  for  this,  but  suggested,  by 


I43  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

way  of  satisfying  all  three  of  us,  the  plan  of  going  herself 
— a  proposition  which  was  received  with  enthusiasm.  Our 
preparations  for  departure  were  now  made  as  joyfully  as 
if  for  a  feast.  Ah,  everything  smiled  upon  us  !  La, 
Sofia  —  you  know  that  with  us  the  le  or  la  is  a  super- 
lative of  admiration,  and  not  a  term  of  contempt  —  was 
accustomed  to  long  walks.  In  the  country  she  used  to 
go  everywhere  with  us.  She  was  active,  courageous, 
and  enthusiastic,  and  was  never  the  least  hindrance  to 
us.  If  we  were  ever  weary  or  discouraged,  she  raised 
our  spirits,  and  put  us  into  good  humor,  by  her  gayety 
and  energy.  She  was  still  young  and  strong,  and  the 
angelic  tenderness  and  goodness  of  her  smile  made  you 
forget  all  about  the  plainness  of  her  features.  Her  hus- 
band loved  her  devotedly ;  and  as  for  her,  nobody 
could  have  convinced  her  that  Silvio  Gotfredi  was  not  a 
demigod,  despite  his  lameness,  his  prematurely  rounded 
shoulders,  and  his  fabulous  absence  of  mind.  But  how 
pure  and  generous  was  the  soul  hidden  by  that  frail  body, 
and  those  timid  and  irresolute  manners !  His  disinter- 
estedness as  to  money  was  admirable,  and  a  proof  of  it 
was  this  very  work,  for  which  he  was  sacrificing  his 
employment  and  his  habits.  He  was  aware  that  such 
books  cost  more  than  they  bring,  especially  in  Italy  ; 
and  he  calculated  upon  no  gain  from  this  one ;  yet  it 
was  the  glory,  the  purpose,  the  dream  of  his  whole  life. 

"  My  poor  mother  was  the  most  impatient  to  start  of 
any  of  us,  and  she  felt  an  absolute  confidence  in  our  good 
fortune.  It  was  decided  that  we  should  begin  by  visiting 
some  of  the  islands  of  the  Archipelago. 

"  I  must  ask  leave  to  pass  rapidly  over  what  follows  ; 
the  recollection  is  most  painful.  In  crossing  part  of  the 
Apennines  on  foot,  my  poor  father  received  a  slight 
wound  in  the  leg,  from  striking  it  against  a  rock.  Not- 
withstanding our  urgency,  he  neglected  the  wound,  and 
insisted  on  walking  during  the  following  days.  The  weather 
was  terribly  hot.  When  we  reached  the  coast  of  the 
Adriatic,  where  we  were  to  embark,  he  found  himself 
obliged  to  rest  for  some  days,  and  we  succeeded  in  in- 
ducing him  to  allow  a  surgeon  to  visit  him.  But  what 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


'43 


was  our  terror  to  find  that  mortification  had  commenced  ! 
We  were  at  a  mere  village,  far  away  from  all  competent 
aid.  Our  country  surgeon,  who  was  little  more  than  a* 
mere  barber,  spoke  unconcernedly  of  amputating  the  leg. 
Would  it  have  saved  him,  or  hastened  his  death?  In  so 
horrible  a  dilemma,  my  mother  and  I  knew  not  what  to 
resolve.  My  father,  with  heroic  courage,  decided  to  have! 
the  leg  taken  off,  and  spoke  of  travelling  about  the  world 
with  a  wooden  leg.  We  dared  not  subject  him  to  the 
knife  of  a  butcher.  I  determined  to  hasten  to  Venice  — 
it  was  only  fifty  leagues  distant.  I  obtained  a  horse,  set 
out,  broke  him  down  by  night,  abandoned  him,  bought 
another,  and  continued  my  journey.  I  reached  the  city 
exhausted,  but  alive.  I  applied  to  one  of  the  first  sur- 
geons of  Venice,  and  induced  him  to  return  with  me  by 
agreeing  to  pay  him  a  sum  equal  to  the  whole  of  Sophia's 
property.  We  took  a  boat  and  returned  by  sea,  with  a 
speed  that  filled  me  with  hope  and  joy.  Ah,  monsieur  ! 
if  I  should  live  a  thousand  years,  the  memory  of  that 
terrible  day  would,  I  believe,  be  as  bitter  as  it  is  now.  I 
found  Silvio  Goffredi  dead,  and  Sophia  Goffredi  insane." 

"  Poor  fellow !  "  said  M.  Goefle,  as  the  great  tears  fell 
from  Cristiano's  eyes. 

"Well,  well,"  said  the  latter,  hastily  wiping  them 
away,  "it  will  not  do  to  be  surprised  by  emotions  of 
that  kind.  It  shows  that  one  has  too  forcibly  driven 
them  out  of  his  mind,  and  they  revenge  themselves  for  it 
once  for  all,  when  they  can  seize  their  rights. 

"The  skilful  physician  whom  I  had  brought  with  me 
could  neither  cure  my  mother,  nor  give  me  any  hope  that 
she  would  ever  be  cured.  Pie  was  only  able,  by  studying 
the  character  of  her  insanity,  to  instruct  me  how  to  deal 
with  its  more  violent  attacks.  It  would  be  requisite  to 
comply  with  all  her  desires,  no  matter  how  unreasonable, 
and,  in  other  matters,  to  assume  over  her  the  sort  of  in- 
fluence, and  even  authority,  which  a  father  exerts  over 
his  child. 

"  I  carried  her  back  to  Perugia,  along  with  the  body  of 
our  poor  friend,  which  we  had  embalmed,  in  order  to  de- 
posit it  in  the  mausoleum  which  his  wife  was  imagining 


I44  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

for  him  on  the  shore  of  Lake  Thrasymene.  What  I  suf- 
fered at  thus  bringing  back  my  father  dead,  and  my  mother 
insane,  to  the  place  from  which  we  had  so  joyously  departed 
not  three  weeks  before,  it  is  impossible  for  me  to  express. 
When  we  went,  Sophia  was  laughing  and  singing  all  the 
way.  On  our  return,  also,  she  laughed  and  sang;  but 
how  mournful  was  the  music,  and  how  heart-breaking  the 
laughter !  I  had  to  lead  her  along,  to  reason  with  her, 
to  amuse  and  persuade  her  as  one  does  a  child — this 
woman,  who  had  been  so  intelligent  and  strong ;  who  but 
yesterday  I  relied  upon  as  my  guide  and  support ;  for, 
Monsieur  Goefle,  I  was  hardly  nineteen  years  old. 

'•  When  the  remains  of  Silvio  Goffrcdi  had  been  in- 
terred, his  widow  became  more  calm.  Indeed,  this  calm- 
ness came  upon  her  so  suddenly,  and  was  so  extreme,  that 
it  seemed  an  appropriate  last  act  of  the  sad  drama  of  her 
destiny.  I  soon  perceived  that  she  had  become,  so  to 
speak,  a  total  stranger  to  herself;  she  became  wholly 
absorbed  in  one  idea :  that  of  the  monument  to  be 
erected  to  her  beloved  Silvio.  From  that  day  she  would 
neither  think  nor  talk  about  anything  else.  It  was  im- 
possible for  me  to  pursue  any  employments  of  my  own, 
for  she  hardly  slept  at  all,  and  allowed  me  only  a  few 
hours'  sleep,  I  Avill  not  say  every  day,  but  every  week. 
It  was  out  of  the  question  to  put  her  into  the  hands  of 
any  one  but  myself;  under  the  care  of  any  one  else  she 
became  irritated,  and  fell  into  frightful  paroxysms  ;  while, 
with  me,  she  never  had  a  single  attack  of  fury  or  despair. 
She  talked  to  me  endlessly,  not  about  her  husband,  for  she 
seemed  no  longerto  retain  any  clear  individual  recollection 
of  him ;  he  had,  as  it  were,  become  a  wholly  imaginary 
being,  whom  she  ha.d  never  seen ;  but  she  discussed  the 
epitaphs,  the  emblematic  designs,  the  carvings,  etc.,  with 
which  she  proposed  to  embellish  her  husband's  monument. 

"  I  think  I  must  have  drawn  two  or  three  thousand 
different  designs  for  her.  Each  new  one  always  pleased 
her  for  an  hour  or  two,  but  at  the  end  of  that  time  she 
always  fcund  it  unworthy  of  the  memory  of  the  'Ma- 
gus,' as  she  now  always  called  the  dear  deceased.  No 
emblematic  design  could  embody  the  abstract  and  con- 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


'45 


fused  ideas  that  floated  through  her  mind.  She  was  con- 
stantly falling  into  profound  meditations,  when,  taking 
out  of  my  hands  the  pencil  she  herself  had  placed  in 
them  with  a  pretence  of  making  some  slight  alteration, 
she  would  make  me  design  some  entirely  new  subject  of 
a  quite  opposite  character.  As  you  will  easily  imagine, 
most  of  these  designs  were  quite  impracticable,  and  even 
meaningless.  If  I  varied  from  her  suggestions,  she  be- 
came so  uneasy  and  agitated  that  I  found  it  best  to  com- 
ply strictly  with  them.  Thus  I  accumulated  portfolio 
after  portfolio  full  of  designs,  fantastic  enough  to  have 
crazed  any  one  who  should  have  undertaken  to  interpret 
them. 

"  When  some  hours  had  been  spent  in  this  way,  she 
used  to  take  me  out  to  see  the  pieces  in  marble  that  she 
had  ordered  of  all  the  statuaries  in  the  country.  She 
had  the  court  and  garden  full  of  them,  and  as  soon  as 
they  were- done  she  was  dissatisfied  with  them. 

"  Another  fancy  of  hers,  which  1  felt  bound  to  gratify 
at  whatever  cost,  was  in  respect  of  the  material  to  be 
employed  for  this  imaginary  monument.  She  obtained 
specimens  of  all  the  varieties  of  marbles  and  of  all  known 
metals ;  and  more  models,  both  in  sculpture  and  in  cast- 
ing, were  executed  than  the  house  could  contain.  They 
were  even  piled  upon  the  beds  ;  and  travellers  used  to 
take  our  house  for  a  museum,  and  to  come  to  it  and  ask 
the  meaning  of  all  the  strange  subjects  represented  there. 
Poor  Sophia  found  pleasure  in  receiving  these  visitors, 
and  in  explaining  her  idoas  to  them ;  and  so  they  de- 
parted, some  pained  and  saddened,  others  laughing  and 
shrugging  their  shoulders, — the  brutes!  Their  sneers 
affected  me  like  so  many  crimes. 

"  Meanwhile  our  property  began  to  be  exhausted.  M. 
Goffrcdi  had  left  to  his  wife  the  whole  of  his  little  for- 
tune, which  I  was  to  have  inherited  after  her.  A  family 
council  of  the  kinsmen  assembled  under  these  circum- 
stances, as  was  alleged,  both  in  order  to  protect  my  in- 
terests, and  to  provide  for  carrying  out  my  father's 
intentions  in  this  respect.  One  member,  a  lawyer,  was 
of  opinion  that  the  control  of  the  property  should  be 
10 


146  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

taken  away  from  poor  Sophia  ;  that  all  artists,  founders, 
mechanics  and  tradesmen  should  be  formally  notified  not 
to  fill  orders  from  her,  and  that  she  herself  should  be 
confined  in  a  lunatic  asylum,  since  the  proposed  measure, 
being  contrary  to  her  wishes,  would  certainly  throw  her 
into  a  paroxysm  of  fury,  in  which  she  would  be  danger- 
ous to  others." 

"The  lawyer  was  right,"  said  M.  Goefle.  "It  was  a 
painful  step,  but  a  necessary  one." 

"  I  really  beg  pardon,  Monsieur  Goefle,  but  I  judged 
otherwise.  As  I  was  the  sole  heir  of  Goifredi,  I  had  a 
perfect  right  to  permit  my  guardian  to  expend  my  prop- 
erty." 

"  No,  you  had  not  that  right.  You  were  a  minor,  and 
the  law  protects  those  who  cannot  protect  themselves." 

"  That  is  just  what  I  was  told  ;  but  I  was  so  suffi- 
ciently able  to  protect  myself,  that  I  threatened  to  throw 
the  lawyer  out  of  the  window  if  he  did  not  withdraw  his 
infamous  proposition.  To  put  my  mother  into  a  lunatic 
asylum  !  I  should  have  had  to  be  shut  up  with  her,  for 
she  could  not  bear  to  be  without  rne  a  moment ;  she 
would  quickly  have  died  under  the  distress  of  being  at- 
tended by  hirelings.  To  deprive  her  of  this  sole  occupa- 
tion that  could  quiet  her  ;  that  exerted  an  influence  upou 
her  little  less  than  magical !  To  prevent  her  from  ex- 
pressing and  soothing  her  sorrows  by  these  works  —  sense- 
less and  ruinous  in  themselves,  I  readily  admit,  but  which 
neither  harmed  nor  wronged  any  one  !  And  what  mat- 
tered our  house  full  of  tomb-stones  to  that  fat  and  pros- 
perous lawyer?  No  one  obliged  him  to  volunteer  his 
regret  for  money  thrown  away,  or  to  mock  at  the  aberra- 
tions of  the  poor  widow's  mind,  unsettled  by  her  grief. 
I  persisted,  the  family  blamed  me,  and  the  lawyer  de- 
clared I  was  out  of  my  wits  myself;  but  my  mother  was 
kept  comfortable." 

"Ah,  ah,  my  boy!"  said  M.  Goefle,  smiling,  "  that's 
the  way  you  treat  lawyers,  is  it?  Come,  give  me  your 
hand  ! "  he  added,  looking  upon  Cristiano  with  eyes  wet 
with  tenderness  and  sympathy. 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


'47 


Cristiano  pressed  the  hands  of  the  worthy  Goefle,  and 
raised  them  to  his  lips,  in  the  Italian  manner. 

u  I  accept  your  kind  feelings  to  me,"  he  said,  "but  I 
cannot  accept  your  praises  for  my  conduct.  It  was  per- 
fectly natural ;  to  have  been  influenced  by  selfish  motives 
in  such  a  situation  would  have  been  infamous.  Have  I 
not  told  you  how  much  I  had  been  loved,  petted,  indulged, 
by  these  two  parents  —  for  such  I  felt  them,  even  by 
blood  as  well  as  by  heart.  Ah  !  I  had  been  happy  with 
them,  very  happy,  Monsieur  Goefle  —  so  much  so,  that  no 
matter  what  disasters  shall  come  upon  me,  I  shall  never 
have  the  right  to  complain  of  Providence.  I  had  cer- 
tainly not  deserved  so  much  happiness  before  I  was  born. 
I  surely  was  bound  to  try  and  deserve  it  after  I  had  lived 
a  little  while  !  " 

"  And  what  became  of  poor  Sophia?  "  asked  M.  Goefle, 
after  a  few  moments'  meditation. 

"Alas  !  I  promised  to  tell  you  my  story  as  gayly  as 
possible,  and  I  have  only  shown  you  its  melancholy  side  ! 
I  ask  your  pardto  ;  I  have  saddened  you.  All  I  need  say 
is,  that  the  poor  lady  is  no  longer  living." 

"  Of  course,  since  you  are  here.  It  is  easy  to  see  that 
you  would  never  have  left  her.  But  did  she  fall  into  ac- 
tual want  before  her  death?  I  am  anxious  to  know  the 
whole  story." 

"No,  thank  God;  she  was  spared  that  misfortune.  I 
do  not  know  what  might  have  happened  if  all  her  means 
had  been  expended,  and  I  had  been  obliged  to  leave  her 
for  the  sake  of  earning  our  living.  But  that  considera- 
tion was  not  the  one  that  troubled  me.  Notwithstanding 
her  calmness,  I  could  see  that  she  was  rapidly  failing. 
At  the  end  of  about  two  years,  one  evening  when  we  were 
sitting  by  the  shore  'of  the  lake,  she  took  my  hand  and 
said,  with  a  strange  inflection  in  her  voice  : 

"  '  Cristiano,  I  think  I  have  fever.  Feel  my  pulse,  and 
tell  me  what  you  think.' 

"  This  was  the  first  time,  since  her  misfortunes,  that 
she  had  referred  to  her  health.  I  perceived  that  she  was 
really  in  a  violent  fever.  I  took  her  into  the  house  and 
sent  for  a  physician. 


148 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


"'She  is  very  ill,  it  is  true,'  he  said  to  me,  'but  pos- 
sibly it  may  be  a  favorable  crisis  ! ' 

"  In  fact,  she  had  never  had  any  fever  at  any  time 
since  her  disorder  had  seized  her. 

"But  I  felt  no  hope.  She  fell  into  a  state  of  profound 
lethargy,  upon  which  no  treatment  produced  the  least 
effect,  and  the  progress  of  her  decline  was  so  rapid  as  to 
be  plainly  visible.  A  few  moments  before  she  died  she 
seemed  to  recover  strength,  and  to  awaken  as  if  from  a 
long  dream.  She  asked  me  to  lift  her  in  my  arms,  and 
feebly  whispered  in  my  ear  : 

"  '  I  bless  you,  Cristiano  ;  you  have  saved  inc.  I  think 
I  have  been  insane,  and  that  I  have  been  a  trouble  to  you. 
Silvio  has  this  moment  been  blaming  me  for  it.  I  just 
saw  him,  there ;  he  told  me  to  rise  up  and  follow  him. 
Help  me  to  escape  out  of  the  tomb  where  I  have  shut  my- 
self up  so  foolishly  !  Come  !  The  ship  is  setting  sail ! 
Let  us  go  ! ' 

"  And  with  one  supreme  effort  to  arise,  she  fell  back 
dead  into  my  arms. 

"  I  know  nothing  of  what  happened  for  some  days.  I 
felt  as  if  I  had  no  further  concern  with  life,  since  I  had 
no  longer  any  one  but  myself  to  care  for. 

"  I  had  the  remains  of  my  dear  parents  deposited  in 
one  tomb,  and  placed  over  it  the  simplest  and  whitest  of 
the  monuments  that  had  been  accumulated  in  our  home, 
cutting  upon  it,  with  my  own  hands,  the  beloved  names, 
with  no  other  epitaph.  You  may  well  suppose  that  I  felt 
a  horror  of  formulas  and  emblems.  When  I  returned  to 
our  home,  I  was  notified  that  it  belonged  not  to  me,  but 
the  creditors.  This  I  knew  very  well,  and,  indeed,  I  was 
so  entirely  ready  to  depart  from  it,  that  I  had  mechan- 
ically packed  up  my  own  property,  while  the  women  were 
wrapping  the  body  in  the  winding-sheet.  I  left  the  busi- 
ness of  settlement  in  the  hands  of  the  family,  for  I  had 
been  orderly  enough,  in  the  midst  of  my  carelessness,  to 
know  that  though  nothing  should  be  left  for  me,  no  debts 
would  be  left  unpaid. 

"I  was  about  leaving  my  home,  when  the  little  Jew 
of  whom  I  spoke  came  in.  I  supposed  he  came  to  get  a 


THE   SNOW  MA.V. 


149 


cheap  bargain  of  some  of  M.  GofFredi's  precious  an- 
tiques, which  were  to  be  sold  at  auction  ;  but  if  he  had 
any  such  purpose,  he  had  delicacy  enough  not  to  mention 
it  to  me,  and,  as  I  sought  to  avoid  him,  he  followed  me 
into  the  garden  where  I  was  gathering  a  few  flowers  —  the 
only  material  souvenirs  which  I  proposed  to  carry  away 
with  me.  He  put  into  my  hands  a  well-filled  purse,  and 
would  have  retreated  without  any  explanation. 

"I  had  so  little  thought  of  any  relations  other  than 
those  whom  I  had  just  lost,  that  I  concluded  this  was  an 
alms  which  the  Jew  had  been  employed  to  bring  me  ;  I 
flung  the  purse  away  upon  the  ground,  in  order  to  make 
him  return  and  pick  it  up.  He  did  so,  and  said : 

"  'This  is  yours — >it  really  is.  It  is  money  which  I 
owed  GofFredi,  and  I  wish  to  repay  it  to  you.' 

"  I  refused,  for  this  might  be  just  the  amount  necessary 
to  enable  the  estate  to  meet  all  the  claims  against  it. 
Then  the  Jew  said  : 

"  '  The  money  comes  from  your  real  parents.  They 
deposited  it  with  me,  and  I  engaged  to  deliver  it  to  you 
whenever  you  should  need  it.' 

"  '  I  need  none  of  it,'  I  replied,  '  I  have  enough  to  carry 
me  to  Rome,  where  M.  GofFredi's  friends  will  find  me 
some  employment.  Make  my  parents  easy  about  me.  I 
presume  they  are  not  rich,  since  they  have  been  unable  to 
bring  me  up  under  their  own  eyes.  Thank  them  for 
having  remembered  me,  and  say  to  them  that,  at  my  age, 
and  with  the  education  I  have  received,  it  is  my  duty  to  be 
of  assistance  to  them,  if  they  should  need  it.  Whether 
they  reveal  themselves  to  me  or  not,  I  will  do  this  with 
pleasure.  They  intrusted  me  to  such  good  hands,  and  I 
have  been  so  happy  in  consequence,  that  I  owe  them  the 
liveliest  gratitude.' 

"  Those  were  my  real  sentiments,  Monsieur  Goefle.  I 
was  not  dissembling  at  all,  for  they  are  my  sentiments 
still.  I  have  never  felt  any  inclination  to  accuse  or  ques- 
tion the  motives  of  those  who  gave  me  life,  and  I  do  not 
understand  the  feelings  of  illegitimate  children  who  com- 
plain of  not  having  been  born  into  such  or  such  a  condition 
of  society  as  they  would  have  chosen  —  as  if  every  living 


I50  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

being  had  not  been  from  all  eternity  destined  to  live,  and 
as  if  it  were  not  God  who  calls  us,  or  sends  us,  into  this 
world,  under  such  conditions  as  it  pleases  Him  to  establish. 

"  '  Your  parents  are  no  longer  living  ! '  replied  the  little 
Jew  ;  '  pray  for  them,  and  accept  this  gift  from  a  friend  ! ' 

"  This  being  a  third  account,  different  from  the  two 
preceding,  I  felt  a  secret  distrust. 

"  '  Perhaps  it  is  you  yourself,'  I  said,  '  who  are  so  good 
as  to  offer  me  this  friendly  assistance?' 

" '  No,'  he  replied,  '  I  am  simply  the  agent,  nothing 
more.' 

" '  Very  well :  say  to  those  who  employed  you  that  I 
thank  them,  but  decline  to  accept  anything,  either  from 
friends  who  disclose  themselves  or  who  hide  themselves. 
Are  you  authorized  by  my  family  to  give  me  any  infor- 
mation ? ' 

"  '  No,  none,'  he  said,  '  but  I  may  probably  do  so  here- 
after. Where  do  you  intend  to  stop  at  Rome  ? ' 

"  '  I  have  no  idea.' 

"'Very  good  ;  I  shall  learn,  however,  for  I  am  under 
obligations  not  to  lose  sight  of  you.  Farewell,  and  re- 
member that  if  you  fall  into  trouble  this  money  is  yours, 
and  that  you  have  only  to  give  me  notice,  and  I  will  ac- 
count to  you  for  it ! ' 

"  He  seemed  to  say  this  with  sincerity,  but  it  was  pos- 
sible that  he  was  one  of  those  bold  speculators  who  furnish 
means  to  the  necessitous  with  the  intention  of  amply  re- 
imbursing themselves  afterwards.  So  I  thanked  him 
rather  coldly,  and  departed  with  my  pockets  almost  empty. 

"  I  felt  but  very  little  anxiety  about  the  future.  It  would 
be  impossible  for  me  now  to  think  of  travelling,  and  in- 
stead, I  should  have  to  find  employment  and  work  for  my 
support.  Although,  for  a  considerable  time,  I  had  been 
unable  to  pursue  my  studies,  my  memory  was  so  good  that 
I  had  not  forgotten  what  I  already  knew.  My  attainments 
were  sufficiently  varied,  and  their  elements  still  clear 
enough  in  my  mind,  to  render  me  quite  competent  to  be- 
come the  private  tutor  of  some  young  lad,  and  I  was 
especially  desirous  of  finding  such  a  position,  so  that  I 


THE  SNOW  MAN.  151 

might  continue  my  own  pursuits,  by  encroaching  on  my 
sleep. 

"  My  father's  position  in  the  province  where  we  lived 
had  been  exceedingly  honorable  ;  but,  strangely  enough, 
my  conduct  in  regard  to  Madame  Goffredi  was  considered 
romantic,  and  quite  unworthy  a  person  of  trustworthy 
character.  I  had  allowed  myself  to  be  ruined,  —  so 
much  the  worse  for  me.  As  I  was  generally  reputed  to 
be  a  witless  spendthrift,  and  a  sort  of  lunatic,  it  would 
have  been  useless  for  me  to  seek  employment.  So  I  could 
not  think  of  settling  in  Perugia.  At  Rome,  one  of  my 
father's  friends  found  me  a  position  as  tutor  in  the  family 
of  a  Neapolitan  prince,  who  had  two  idle  and  stupid  sons, 
besides  a  daughter,  hump-backed,  and  of  a  coquettish 
and  amorous  disposition.  At  the  end  of  two  months  I 
had  to  ask  my  dismission,  so  as  to  escape  from  the  de- 
monstrations of  this  heroine,  of  whom  1  did  not  choose 
to  become  the  hero. 

"At  Naples,  I  met  another  of  my  father's  friends,  a 
learned  abbe,  who  obtained  a  place  for  me  in  a  family 
less  rich,  but  a  great  deal  more  disagreeable  than  that  of 
the  prince,  and  where  my  pupils  were  even  less  intelli- 
gent. Their  mother,  who  was  neither  young  nor  hand- 
some, quickly  became  unfriendly  to  me,  because  I  was 
unwilling  to  deceive  myself  as  to  her  charms.  I  made 
no  pretensions  to  a  savage  degree  of  virtue,  and  did  not 
think  of  claiming  that  I  could  fall  in  love  only  with  a 
goddess, —  I  could  have  been  quite  contented  with  an  or- 
dinary mortal.  But,  even  although  this  lady  had  been 
passably  attractive,  nothing  would  have  induced  me  to 
be  the  lover  of  a  woman  who  had  authority  over  me,  and 
who  paid  me  my  salary.  So  I  went  back  to  my  learned 
abbe,  and  told  him  my  troubles.  He  laughed,  and  said  : 

"  '  It's  your  own  fault.  You  are  a  handsome  fellow, 
and  that  makes  you  difficult.' 

"  I  entreated  him  to  get  me  a  position  with  a  widower 
or  orphans,  and,  after  some  efforts,  he  informed  me  that 
he  had  found  just  what  I  wanted.  The  young  Duke  of 
Villareggia,  who  had  lost  his  father  and  mother,  and  who 
had  neither  sisters  nor  aunts,  was  being  educated  by  his 


153 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


uncle  the  cardinal.  He  already  had  a  tutor,  but  wanted 
a  professor  of  languages  and  literature.  I  was  received 
into  this  post,  and  found  it.  not  only  agreeable,  but  lucra- 
tive. The  cardinal  was  a  man  of  cultivation  and  intel- 
lect ;  and  the  nephew,  now  thirteen  years  of  age,  had  a 
good  mind  and  an  amiable  disposition.  I  became  much 
attached  to  him,  and  brought  him  on  rapidly,  while  at 
the  same  time  pursuing  my  own  studies  with  much 
ardor ;  for  I  had  a  lodging  to  myself,  and  all  my  eve- 
nings at  my  own  disposal.  The  cardinal  was  so  well  sat- 
isfied with  me,  that  he  paid  me  quite  liberally,  so  that  I 
might  dispense  with  seeking  other  pupils,  and  devote  my- 
self exclusively  to  the  duke. 

"  For  about  a  year,  my  conduct  was  studious  and  reg- 
ular. I  had  suffered  so  much  sorrow,  and  felt  so  deeply 
my  social  isolation,  that  my  views  of  life  were,  perhaps, 
rather  too  serious.  I  might  have  become  a  mere  pedant, 
had  not  the  cardinal  taken  it  into  his  head  to  urge  me, 
in  the  most  elegant  and  graceful  manner,  to  mingle  in  the 
follies  and  corruptions  of  the  day.  He  succeeded  in 
making  me  a  man  of  society,  for  which  I  am  not  sure 
that  I  am  bound  to  be  grateful.  Gradually  I  came  to 
waste  a  great  deal  of  time  on  my  toilet,  and  on  my  pleas- 
ures and  intrigues.  The  cardinal's  palace  was  the  ren- 
dezvous of  all  the  wits  of  the  day,  and  of  the  principal 
celebrities  of  the  city.  I  was  not  expected  to  cultivate 
the  moral  character  of  my  pupil,  but  merely  to  supply 
him  with  superficial  accomplishments  and  pleasing  social 
qualities.  As  for  myself,  all  that  was  required  of  me 
was  to  make  myself  agreeable  to  everybody.  This  was 
not  difficult,  among  people  so  amiable  and  frivolous.  I 
Avay  considered  charming ;  indeed  more  so  than  was  best 
{'or  an  orphan  without  position,  fortune,  or  prospects. 

"'  la  the  course  of  time  I  became  quite  dissipated,  and 
was  decidedly  on  the  road  to  ruin.  Indeed,  I  was  encour- 
aged, and,  as  it  \vere,  pushed  downward  in  this  career  by  all 
sorts  of  influences,  and  had  nothing  to  restrain  me  but  the 
memory  of  my  parents,  and  the  fear  of  becoming  un- 
worthy of  the  name  which  they  had  bequeathed  me.  I 
ought  to  have  void  you  that  my  adoptive  father  had 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


'53 


directed  me,  in  his  will,  to  assume  the  name  of  Cristiano 
Goffredi ;  and  that  I  was  thus  known  at  Naples.  AVith 
serious  and  learned  people,  this  honorable  na.nc  was  an 
excellent  recommendation,  but  it  was  thoroughly  plebeian, 
and  I  too  easily  forgot  that  I  needed,  therefore,  to  exer- 
cise great  prudence  and  reserve  in  my  intercourse  with 
the  young  nobles  with  whom  I  was  in  the  habit  of  asso- 
ciating at  the  cardinal's  house.  I  suffered  myself  to  be 
carried  away  by  their  engaging  manners,  and  was  much 
liked,  because  I  had  neither  the  awkward  manners  nor 
the  austere  principles  of  a  professional  pedagogue.  I 
was  invited  everywhere,  and  was  a  favorite  member  of 
all  the  gay  assemblies  of  the  most  fashionable  youth  of 
the  city. 

"The  cardinal  congratulated  me  upon  my  ability  to 
reconcile  suppers,  balls,  and  late  hotirs  with  the  accuracy 
and  lucidity  which  I  unfailingly  brought  to  the  instruc- 
tion of  his  nephew.  Yet  I  myself  perceived  very 
plainly,  and  suffered  from  the  consciousness,  that  I  was 
no  longer  cultivating  my  own  intellect  with  sufficient 
assiduity.  I  felt  that  I  had  stopped  short  in  my  progress, 
that  I  was  insensibly  becoming  a  mere  showy  and  shal- 
low talker,  that  I  was  turning  into  a  parlor  comedian 
and  poet ;  and  furthermore,  was  laying  up  nothing 
from  my  salary  with  a  view  to  securing  my  future  inde- 
pendence and  respectability.  My  linen  was  too  fine  and 
my  brains  were  too  empty  ;  in  short,  I  had  abandoned 
myself  to  dissipation  and  vacuity  of  mind,  and  from 
between  these  prison-walls  there  was  great  danger  that 
I  would  never  escape. 

"As  a  usual  thing,  I  banished  these  reflections  from 
my  mind,  but  they  sometimes  made  me  very  anxious. 
And  then,  the  pleasures  that  were  intoxicating  me  so  did 
not  give  me  any  real  enjoyment,  after  all.  At  the  home 
of  my  parents,  and  in  their  society,  I  had  experienced 
nobler  enjoyments,  more  genuine  amusements.  I  re- 
traced, in  memory,  the  delightful  walks  we  had  taken 
together,  always  with  a  serious  purpose,  which  afforded 
us  a  pure  satisfaction,  while,  in  the  feverish  activity  of 
my  present  existence,  I  was  conscious  of  being  in  reality 


!54  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

as  languid  and  exhausted  as  if  I  had  been  living  in 
utter  idleness.  I  began  to  dream  again  of  the  noble  en- 
joyments of  the  adventurous  traveller ;  and  when  I 
looked  at  my  purse,  which  was  always  empty,  I  asked 
myself  whether  I  could  not  have  made  a  better  use  of 
the  money  that  I  earned  by  hard  work  ;  whether  it  would 
not  have  been  more  to  my  advantage  to  devote  it  to  sat- 
isfying my  genuine  physical  tastes  and  intellectual  neces- 
sities, instead  of  throwing  it  away  in  diversions  that 
wearied  my  body  and  exhausted  my  mind.  And  then 
suddenly  I  felt  like  a  stranger,  even  in  my  home.  I 
thought  how  foreign  to  my  nature  all  my  surroundings 
were  in  this  country,  where  I  was  not  rooted  by  any 
vital  family  ties ;  its  frivolous  society,  its  servile  polit- 
ical condition,  its  enervating  climate  and  indolent  popu- 
lation. I  felt,  at  the  same  time,  more  energetic  and  more 
thoughtful  than  this  people.  In  spite  of  my  twenty-three 
years  and  my  poverty,  I  begun  to  consider  whether  I 
would  not  marry,  so  that  I  might  have  a  home  of  my 
own,  a  motive  of  reform,  a  serious  object  in  life.  But 
when  I  confided  these  perplexities  and  moral  anxieties  to 
the  cardinal,  he  laughed  at  me  for  a  foolish  fellow. 

'"You  drank  too  much,  or  worked  too  much,  last 
night,'  he  said,  '  and  your  head  is  full  of  vapors.  Go 
and  drive  them  away  with  Cintia  or  Fiammetta,  but 
don't  marry  them,  of  all  things.' 

"I  loved  the  cardinal,  for  he  was  a  good-hearted  and 
agreeable  man  ;  yet,  though  he  was  paternal,  and  unaf- 
fectedly kind  to  me,  I  saw  plainly  that  he  was  rather 
amiable  than  loving.  What  he  wanted  was  to  have 
agreeable  people  about  him,  and  he  valued  me  because 
of  my  social  qualities  ;  but  he  was  not  the  man  to  retain 
me  in  his  service  very  long  if  I  should  become  melan- 
choly, and  hence  tiresome. 

"I  accordingly  tried  to  drive  away  my  thoughts,  and 
to  rest  contented,  like  all  around  me.  with  the  enjoyments 
of  each  day,  without  caring  for  the  morrow.  But  I  could 
not  do  it.  My  dissatisfaction  increased,  and  I  could  not 
hide  it.  I  became  disgusted  with  easy  successes  in  love ; 
sensual  infatuations,  to  which  women  of  all  ranks  seemed 


THE  SNOW  MAN.  I  ^ 

to  abandon  themselves  without  resistance.  Poor,  and  a 
plebeian,  these  intrigues  had  at  first  flattered  my  vanity ; 
but  when  I  saw  that  my  barber,  who  was  a  good-looking 
fellow,  was  as  successful  as  myself,  I  contracted  a  great 
horror  of  the  marchioness.  I  became  eager  to  quit  Na- 
ples, and  begged  the  cardinal  to  make  me  a  librarian  or 
steward,  no  matter  what,  at  some  one  of  his  villas  in 
Calabria  or  Sicily  ;  I  thirsted  for  repose  and  for  solitude. 
But  he  still  laughed  at  my  plans  for  retirement.  In  fact 
he  had  no  faith  in  them  ;  lie  thought  me  no  more  fit  for 
a  steward  than  for  a  monk.  In  this  he  was  right,  no 
doubt  ;  yet  it  was  a  misfortune  that  he  retained  me,  as 
you  will  see. 

"A  second  nephew  of  the  cardinal  returned  from  his 
travels,  and  became  an  inmate  of  the  house.  This  was 
Marco  Melfi,  a  young  man  as  unintelligent,  foolish,  indo- 
lent, and  vain,  as  his  young  cousin,  Tito  Villareggia, 
Vas  sympathetic  and  kind-hearted.  He  made  himself 
disagreeable  to  everybody ;  and  very  soon  had  several 
duels  on  his  hands.  He  was  an  excellent  swordsman,  and 
wounded  or  killed  all  his  adversaries  without  receiving  a 
single  scratch  ;  and  his  insolence  became,  in  consequence, 
perfectly  insupportable.  I  avoided  collisions  with  him 
as  long  as  possible,  but  being  one  day  urged  beyond 
endurance  by  his  brutal  provocations,  I  gave  him  the  lie 
in  form,  and  offered  him  satisfaction  with  the  sword. 
This  he  refused,  saying  that  I  was  not  a  gentleman,  and 
darting  at  me,  he  attempted  to  strike  me.  I,  however, 
flung  him  down,  and  left  him  unhurt,  except  that  he  was 
almost  choked  with  fury.  The  quarrel  made  a  good 
deal  of  noise  ;  and  the  cardinal,  while  he  acknowledged 
to  me  between  ourselves  that  I  was  in  the  right,  yet 
begged  me  to  hasten  and  conceal  myself  on  one  of  his 
estates,  until  Melfi  should  depart  on  his  travels  again. 

"  The  idea  of  hiding  was'revolting  to  me. 

'"But,  my  poor  fellow,'  said  the  cardinal,  'do  you 
not  know,  that  as  things  are,  my  nephew  is  obliged  to 
have  you  assassinated?' 

"  This  expression  seemed  to  me  rather  amusing,  and  I 
replied  that  I  w.ould  oblige  Marco  to  fight  me. 


i56 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


"'But  you  can't  kill  my  nephew,'  said  he,  patting  me 
gayly  on  the  head.  '  Even  supposing  you  were  skilful 
enough,  you  would  not  make  such  a  return  as  that  for 
the  fatherly  kindness  that  I  have  shown  you?' 

"This  observation  silenced  me.  I  returned  to  my 
lodging  and  made  ready  to  depart.  I  ought  to  have  been 
more  cautious  about  it,  but  I  could  not  bring  myself  to 
seem  to  be  running  away  secretly.  All  "at  once,  as  I 
stepped  out  of  my  room  to  look  for  a  small  box  that  was 
in  the  vestibule  of  the  house,  where  I  lived  by  myself, 
two  villains  fell  upon  me  and  undertook  to  overpower 
and  tie  me.  In  the  struggle  that  ensued,  I  pushed  them 
down  stairs  ;  but,  just  as  I  was  about  to  escape,  the  door 
was  shut  in  my  face,  and  I  heard  a  harsh  voice  proceed- 
ing from  the  vestibule  exclaim  : 

"  '  Courage  !  tie  him  !  I  want  to  beat  him  to  death  on 
the  spot  1 ' 

"  My  rage,  at  hearing  this,  gave  me  superhuman 
strength,  and  I  fought  my  two  assailants  with  so  much 
fury,  that  they  were  both  overpowered  in  a  few  sec- 
onds. Then,  without  further  notice  of  them,  I  sprang  at 
Marco,  who,  seeing  that  his  attempt  had  failed,  tried  to 
flee.  I,  however,  forced  him  against  the  door,  and 
snatched  away  his  sword,  which  he  would  have  drawn  to 
defend  himself. 

"'Scoundrel!'  I  said,  'I  will  not  kill  you,  but  you 
shall  fight  me,  and  at  once.' 

"Marcus  was  slender,  and  inferior  to  me  in  strength. 
I  made  him  go  up  stairs  before  me,  and  pushed  him  into 
my  room,  when  I  double-locked  the  door,  took  my  sword, 
and  giving  him  his,  said  : 

"'There,  defend  yourself;  you  see  that  you  may 
sometimes  be  obliged  to  fight  with  a  plebeian  !' 

"'Goffredi,'  he  replied,  lowering  the  point  of  his 
weapon,  'I  do  not  wish  to  fight  you,  and  I  will  not;  I 
am  too  certain  of  killing  you  ;  and  I  should  be  very 
soiry  to  do  that,  for  you  are  a  good  fellow.  You  micht 
have  assassinated  me,  and  you  did  not  do  it.  Let  us  be 
friends.' 

"Not  mistrusting  him,  and  not  being  pf  a  revengeful 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


'57 


disposition,  I  held  out  my  hand  to  take  that  which  he 
had  offered  me,  when  he  aimed  a  swift  and  skilful  left- 
handed  stab  at  my  throat  Avith  a  stiletto.  I  evaded  the 
thrust,  which  only  wouuded  my  shoulder.  Upon  this  I 
no  longer  restrained  my  anger,  but  instantly  and  furi- 
ously attacked  the  villain,  who  was  forced  to  stand  on 
his  defence.  .Our  weapons  were  equal,  and  he  certainly 
had  greatly  the  advantage  over  me  in  skill  and  practice. 
But,  however  it  may  have  been,  I  laid  him  dead  at  my 
feet.  He  fell,  sword  in  hand,  without  speaking  a  word, 
and  with  an  infernal  smile  on  his  face.  At  this  very 
moment  there  was  a  violent  knocking  and  pounding  at 
my  door,  and  he  may  have  thought  that  he  should 
quickly  be  avenged.  For  my  part,  I  did  not  know 
whether  the  two  assassins,  recovered  from  their  stupor, 
had  returned  to  the  attack,  or  whether  they  had  warned 
the  police  to  come  and  arrest  me  ;  but,  exhausted  as  I 
was  with  emotion  and  fatigue,  I  felt  that  I  should  be  lost 
in  either  case.  So  I  mustered  up  what  strength  I  had 
left,  and  jumped  out  of  the  window.  It  was  not  more 
than  about  twenty  feet  high  ;  I  alighted  upon  the  court- 
yard pavement  without  much  injury,  and  holding  my 
coat  tight  around  me,  to  prevent  the  blood  from  my 
shoulder  from  indicating  my  track,  I  fled  as  far  as  my 
legs  could  carry  me. 

"It  was  well  for  me  that  I  succeeded  in  gaining  the 
country,  for  as  this  affair  had  passed  without  witnesses, 
it  would  necessarily  have  been  a  very  bad  one  for  me.  It 
made  no  difference  that  I  was  in  the  right,  that  my  behavior 
had  been  loyal  and  generous,  and  that  my  adversary  was 
a  cowardly  scoundrel.  He  belonged  to  one  of  the  first 
families  in  the  kingdom,  and  the  holy  inquisition  would 
have  made  but  a  single  mouthful  of  a  poor  wretch  like 
me. 

"  I  found  refuge  for  the  night  in  a  fisherman's  cabin, 
but  I  had  not  a  single  farthing  about  me  with  which  to  pay 
for  the  dangerous  hospitality.  Moreover,  my  torn  and 
bloody  clothes  would  not  allow  me  to  show  myself  by 
day;  and  my  wound  —  whether  it  was  severe  or  not  I 
did  not  know  — pained  me  extremely.  I  felt  my  strength 


r53 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


failing,  and  I  well  knew  that  the  whole  police  of  the  king- 
dom was  already  on  foot,  and  hunting  after  me.  Lying 
on  a  miserable  mat,  under  a  little  shed,  I  wept  bitter 
tears,  not. over  my  unfortunate  destiny  —  I  should  have 
bi;en  incapable  of  such  weakness  —  but  because  of  the 
sudden  arid  irreparable  rupture  of  my  relations  with  the 
good  cardinal  and  with  my  amiable  pupil.  I  felt  that  I 
loved  them  deeply,  and  I  cursed  the  fate  which  had  caused 
me  to  defile  with  blood  the  mansion  where  I  had  been  re- 
ceived with  so  much  confidence  and  kindness. 

"However,  it  was  escape,  and  not  lamentation,  that  I 
needed  to  concern  myself  about.  It  occurred  to  me,  of 
course,  to  find  the  little  Jew  who  had  asserted  that  he 
knew  the  mysterious  friends  or  relations  who  were  watch- 
ing over  me,  or  who  had  employed  him  to  do  so.  I  forgot 
to  say  that  this  Jew  had  established  himself  in  Naples, 
where  I  had  met  him  more  than  once.  But  it  seemed  to 
me  too  dangerous  to  return  into  the  city,  and  I  could  not 
have  written  to  him  without  running  the  risk  of  being  dis- 
covered. Hence  I  gave  up  the  idea. 

"  It  is  needless  for  me  to  relate  in  full  my  adventures 
in  effecting  my  escape  from  the  kingdom  of  Naples.  I 
had  managed  to  exchange  my  tattered  clothes  for  some 
other  rags  not  quite  so  suspicious  in  appearance,  but  I 
found  it  very  hard  to  obtain  food.  The  whole  community 
knew  that  pursuit  was  being  made  after  the  '  vile  assassin ' 
of  a  nobleman,  and  poor  vagrants  were  looked  upon  with 
distrust.  If  it  had  not  been  for  the  women,  who  are  al- 
ways more  courageous  and  more  humane  than  we  men,  I 
should  have  died  of  hunger  and  fever.  My  wound  often 
forced  me  to  halt  in  the  most  solitary  and  deserted  spot  I 
could  find,  and  in  some  such  hiding-place,  lacking  every 
kind  of  assistance,  it  seemed  more  than  likely,  on  several 
occasions,  that  I  should  leave  my  bones,  from  sheer  lack 
of  strength  to  rise  up  and  go  forward.  And  yet,  M. 
Goefle,  can  you  believe  that,  even  in  this  desperate  situa- 
tion, I  experienced,  at  moments,  a  sense  of  delirious  joy, 
as  if,  in  spite  of  everything,  I  were  enjoying  a  foretaste 
of  my  reconquered  liberty.  The  open  air,  the  motion, 
the  freedom  from  conventional  restraints,  the  sight  of  the 


THE   SNOW  MAN.  159 

open  plains,  whose  distant  horizons  I  might  now  expect  to 
reach  and  pass  —  all,  even  to  the  hardness  of  my  bed  of 
rock,  recalled  to  my  mind  the  projects  and  aspirations  of 
the  time  when  I  had  really  lived.  x 

"At  last  I  gained  the  frontiers  of  the  Papal  States  in 
safety  ;  and  as  I  had  not  followed  the  road  to  Rome, 
but  had  made  a  detour' through  the  mountains,  I  had 
every  reason  to  hope  that  the  spies  on  the  lookout  for  me 
had  been  baffled.  I  stopped  in  a  village,  therefore,  to 
dispose  of  my  merchandise  ;  for  such  was  my  horror  of 
begging,  and  so  angry  did  it  make  me  to  be  refused,  that, 
to  avoid  the  temptation  of  beating  the  people  who  sent 
me  off  with  rude  brutality,  I  had  taken  it  into  my  head  —  as 
I  should  have  told  you  before — to  become  a  merchant !" 

"A  merchant?"  interrupted  M.  Goefle,  "  a  merchant 
of  what?  You  had  not  a  penny  to  start  with  !  " 

"  Very  true,  but  I  had  a  pen-knife  in  my  pocket  when 
I  fled,  and  this  took  the  place  of  capital.  Although  I  had 
never  worked  in  sculpture,  I  was  familiar  enough  with 
the  principles  of  design,  and  one  day,  chancing  to  notice 
on  the  road  a  remarkably  white  and  unusually  soft  layer 
of  rock,  it  occurred  to  me  to  provide  myself  with  a  dozen 
or  so  fragments  from  it.  These  I  broke  off  on  the  spot ; 
and  afterwards,  while  I  was  resting,  carved  into  little 
figures  of  madonnas  and  cherubs,  about  as  large  as  a 
finger.  This  stone,  or  rather  chalk,  which  was  scattered 
all  about  the  country  in  this  direction,  was  very  light ;  I 
could  carry  as  many  as  fifty  of  my  little.statuettes  without 
inconvenience,  and  I  used  to  sell  them  to  the  farmers 
and  peasants  for  five  or  six  baiocchi  each.  This  was  cer- 
tainly all  they  were  worth,  and  it  was  enough  to  furnish 
me  with  bread. 

"  For  several  days  I  had  succeeded  remarkably  well  in 
my  new  avocation,  and  I  hoped,  on  seeing  that  it  was 
market-day  in  this  village,  that  I  would  be  able  to  dispose 
in  safety  of  my  whole  supply  of  merchandise.  I  found, 
however,  but  little  custom,  in  consequence  of  the  competi- 
tion of  a  Piedmontese  with  a  great  tray  of  plaster  figures  ; 
and  so  it  occurred  to  me  to  sit  down  and  execute  my  carv- 
ing in  sight  of  the  crowd,  who  quickly  gathered  round  me. 


X6o  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

This  plan  was  extremely  successful.  The  quickness  of 
my  work,  and  very  likely  the  simplicity  of  its  style,  made 
it  very  popular,  aud  the  admiration  aod  delight  of  these 
good  folks,  especially  of  the  women  and  children,  made 
my  Piedmontese  competitor  extremely  jealous  and  angry. 
He  addressed  me  several  times  in  a  violent  manner,  with- 
out making  me  lose  patience.  I  saw  plainly  that  he 
meant  to  force  a  quarrel  on  me  in  order  to  drive  me 
away,  but  I  only  made  fun  of  him,  telling  him  to  go  to 
work  as  I  did,  and  make  some  of  his  statuettes,  so  as  to 
shoAV  his  talents  to  the  company,  a  suggestion  which  was 
received  with  great  applause  ;  for  in  Italy  even  the  lowest 
classes  are  fond  of  everything  connected  with  art.  So  my 
rival  found  himself  laughed  at  as  a  mere  mechanic,  while 
I  was  loudly  declared  to  -be  a  real  artist. 

"  The  malignant  rascal,  upon  this,  contrived  a  very  mean 
trick  to  revenge  himself.  He  dropped  two  or  three  of  the 
cheapest  of  his  images  on  purpose,  and  then  made  a  ter- 
rible outcry,  so  as  to  attract  the  attention  of  some  of  the 
police,  who  were  moving  about  here  and  there  in  the 
crowd.  When  he  had  succeeded  in  bringing  them  to  the 
spot,  he  charged  that  I  had  been  stirring  up  the  people 
against  him,  that  they  had  been  shoving  him  about,  and 
had  caused  great  damage  to  his  frail  wares.  He  was  a 
respectable  person,  he  said,  who  paid  for  his  license,  and 
was  well-known  in  the  neighborhood,  while  I  was  a  mere 
vagrant,  and  very  likely  something  still  worse,  who  could 
say?  perhaps  that  vile  assassin  of  the  cardinal?  This  was 
the  shape  that  the  story  had  already  assumed,  and  it  was 
in  this  character  that  I  was  held  up  to  public  animadver- 
sion, and  to  the  scrutiny  of  the  police.  The  people,  how- 
ever, took  my  part ;  aud  many  witnesses  testified  to  my 
innocence  as  well  as  their  own,  proving  that  no  one  had 
pushed,  or  even  touched  the  tray  of  the  figure-merchant. 
Those  who  were  immediately  about  me  stepped  quietly 
in  the  way  of  the  officers,  and  made  room  for  me  to  pass. 

"But  although  I  found  good  friends  among  them,  there 
were  also  plenty  of  blackguards  or  cowards,  who  pointed 
me  out  without  saying  a  word,  as  I  rushed  precipitately 
into  a  crowded  by-street.  The  officers  pursued  me ;  I 


THE   SNOW  MAN.  161 

had  a  good  start,  but  I  knew  nothing  of  the  locality ; 
and  instead  of  gaming  the  open  country,  very  soon  found 
myself  in  another  square,  where  a  number  of  people  had 
gathered  attentively  about  a  theatre  of  marionettes. 
Scarcely  had  I  had  time  to  join  this  group,  when  the 
officers  came  up  and  began  looking  around  with  penetrat- 
ing eyes.  I  made  myself  as  small  as  possible,  and  was 
pretending  to  feel  a  great  interest  in  Punchinello,  so  as 
not  to  excite  the  curiosity  of  my  neighbors,  who  were 
jostling  me  on  every  side,  when  suddenly  a  luminous 
idea,  suggested  by  my  imminent  danger,  flashed  into  my 
excited  brain.  While  the  officers  were  trying  to  force  an 
entrance  into  the  compact  and  motionless  crowd,  I  crept 
gradually  forward  until  I  could  touch  the  canvas  of  the 
booth.  Then  stooping  slowly  down,  I  suddenly  glided  in 
under  it  as  a  fox  runs  into  a  hole,  and  found  myself 
squatting  almost  between  the  legs  of  the  operator  —  that 
is,  of  the  person  who  was  moving  the  marionettes  and 
speaking  for  them. 

"  Do  you  know  what  a  theatre  of  marionettes  is,  M. 
Goefle  ?  " 

"  Certainly !  I  saw  Christian  Waldo's  only  a  little 
while  ago,  at  Stockholm." 

"  Saw  it  ?  —  From  the  outsi'de,  you  mean  ?  " 

"  That's  all ;  but  I  have  a  very  good  idea  of  the  inside, 
though  that  one  seemed  to  me  to  be  rather  complicated." 

"  It  is  a  theatre  for  two  operators,  or,  in  other  words, 
for  four  hands,  which  means,  of  course,  four  actors  on  the 
stage,  and  that  is  a  sufficiently  large  co'mpany  of  burat- 
tini." 

"  What  are  burattini  f  " 

"  They  are  the  classical,  primitive  marionettes ;  the 
best.  The  burattino  is  not  the  same  as  the  stiff,  wooden 
fantoccio  which,  hung  to  the  ceiling  by  strings,  moves 
about  without  touching  the  ground,  or  else  with  a  noise 
that  is  ridiculous  and  unnatural.  The  jointed  marionette, 
which  is  much  more  scientific  and  complete,  contains 
some  really  ingenious  mechanism,  that  enables  it  to  make 
very  natural  gestures  and  to  assume  graceful  attitudes. 
With  further  improvements  it  could  undoubtedly  be  con- 


,62  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

structed  to  Imitate  nature  perfectly  ;  but,  on  investigating 
the  subject,  I  have  asked  myself  of  what  use  this  would 
be,  and  what  advantage  art  would  derive  from  a  theatre 
of  automata?  The  larger  they  were  made,  the  more 
like  human  beings,  the  more  disagreeable,  and  even  fright- 
ful, the  spectacle  of  such  artificial  actors  would  become. 
Does  it  not  appear  to  you  so? " 

"  Certainly,  it  does  —  but  the  digression  interests  me 
less  than  the  continuation  of  your  narrative." 

"Pardon  me,  pardon  me,  Monsieur  Goefle,  the  digres- 
sion is  unavoidable.  I  am  just  coming  to  a  singular  part 
of  my  adventurous  career,  and  I  must  positively  prove 
to  you  the  superiority  of  the  lurattino.  I  want  to  con- 
vince you  that  the  instrument  of  the  comic  artist,  in  this 
elementary  representation,  is  neither  a  machine,  nor  a 
puppet,  nor  a  doll ;  it  is  a  living  being." 

"  Ah  !  Indeed?  A  living  being?  "  repeated  M.  Goefte, 
looking  with  astonishment  at  his  companion,  and  asking 
himself  whether  he  was  not  liable  to  occasional  fits  of 
insanity. 

"  Yes,  a  living  being !  I  insist  upon  it,"  replied  Cris- 
tiano,  with  enthusiasm ;  "  and  all  the  more  because  it 
has  no  body.  The  burattino  has  neither  wheels,  nor 
strings,  nor  pulleys.  It  is  a  head,  and  nothing  more  ;  a 
head  with  expression  and  intelligence,  in  which  —  but 
wait  a  moment !  " 

Cristiano  stepped  under  the  staircase,  and  opening 
a  box,  produced  a  little  wooden  figure,  dressed  in  rags, 
which  he  threw  down,  picked  up,  tossed  in  the  air,  and 
caught  again  in  his  hand. 

"There,"  he  resumed,  "look  at  that  I  A  rag  —  a 
mere  chip,  the  figure  scarcely  indicated.  Now  see,  I  put 
my  hand  inside  of  this  little  leather  bag,  my  forefinger  in 
the  head,  which  is  hollow,  my  thumb  and  middle  finger 
into  these  sleeves,  to  manage  the  two  little  wooden  hands. 
These  hands,  you  see,  are  short,  formless,  and  not  ex- 
actly either  open  or  shut.  This  is  intentional ;  it  is  to 
conceal  their  immovability.  Now  let  me  stand  at  such  a 
distance  from  you  as  suits  the  size  of  the  little  thing. 
There  ;  stay  where  you  are,  and  look  !  " 


THE   SNOW  MAN,  163 

While  he  was  speaking,  Cristiano  had  mounted  the 
staircase  at  two  bounds,  crouched  down  so  as  to  hide  his 
body  behind  the  balustrade,  raised  his  hand  above  it,  and 
moved  the  marionette  with  extreme  address  and  grace. 

"  You  see,  now,"  he  cried,  as  gayly  as  ever,  and  yet  with 
real  earnestness,  "  you  see  how  perfect  the  illusion  is, 
even  without  cither  theatre  or  scenery.  The  face,  which 
is  sketched,  as  it  were,  in  a  broad  style,  and  painted  in 
colors  of  a  somewhat  dull  tone,  begins,  as  it  moves,  to 
look  as  if  it  were  alive.  If  I  were  to  show  you  one  of 
the  best  German  marionettes,  all  varnished  and  shining, 
covered  with  spangles,  and  moving  by  wheel-work,  you 
could  not  help  remembering  that  it  is  only  a  doll  —  a  mere 
piece  of  machinery ;  while  my  burattino  here,  lithe  and 
obedient  to  every  motion  of  my  fingers,  comes  and  goes, 
salutes,  tftrns  its  head,  folds  its  arms,  raises  them  towards 
heaven,  expresses  all  manner  of  emotions,  strikes  a  blow, 
beats  upon  the  wall  with  joy  or  despair.  And  don't 
you  see  that  you  fancy  you  perceive  all  these  emotions 
expressed  in  the  face  too  ?  What  is  it  that  causes  such  a 
wonderful  effect  ?  How  is  it  that  a  head  so  roughly  cut, 
so  ugly  when  closely  examined,  should  suddenly  assume, 
in  the  play  of  the  light,  such  a  lifelike  expression,  that 
you  quite  forget  its  real  size.  Yes,  I  insist  upon  it,  that 
when  you  see  the  burattino  in  the  hands  of  a  real  artist, 
upon  a  theatre  where  the  scenery,  the  stage,  the  surround- 
ings are  in  proper  proportion  to  the -actors,  you  completely 
forget  that  you  yourself  are  not  upon  the  same  scale  ;  you 
forget  even  that  the  voice  that  speaks  for  them  is  not 
their  own.  The  association  apparently  so  impossible,  of 
a  head  no  larger  than  my  fist,  with  a  voice  as  strong  as 
mine,  is  admitted  readily  in  the  state  of  mysterious  in- 
toxication into  Avhich  I  manage  gradually  to  bring  you, 
and  the  Avhole  miracle  is  accomplished.  Do  you  see 
what  causes  it?  The  fact  that  the  burattino  is  not  an  au- 
tomaton, but  a  thing  obedient  to  my  caprice,  my  inspira- 
tion, my  impulses  ;  because  all  its  motions  are  the  results 
of  ideas  which  spring  up  in  my  mind,  of  words  which  I 
furnish  ;  in  short,  because  it  is  myself;  therefore,  a  living 
and  not  a  doll !  " 


164 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


Having  thus  argued  his  case  with  a  great  deal  of  ani- 
mation, Criatiano  came  down  stairs,  laid  the  marionette 
on  the  table,  took  off  his  coat, 'apologizing  to  M.  Goefle 
on  the  ground  of  being  too  warm,  and  placed  himself 
astride  upon  his  chair  again,  so  as  to  resume  the  thread 
of  his  story. 

During  this  odd  interruption,  M.  Gocfle's  attitude  had 
been  about  as  amusing  as  Cristiano's. 

"  Wait  a  moment,"  he  observed,  taking  up  the  burat- 
tino.  "  All  that  you  have  said  is  very  true,  and  well 
argued.  And  now  I  understand  the  extraordinary  pleas- 
ure which  I  took  in  the  representations  of  Christian 
Waldo.  But  what  you  do  not  explain,  and  what  I  nev- 
ertheless perceive  very  plainly  to  be  the  fact,  is,  that  this 
good  little  gentleman  that  I  have  in  my  hand,  I  would 
like  very  well  to  make  him  move  and  talk  myself — Come, 
my  little  friend,"  he  proceeded,  inserting  his  fingers  into 
the  head  and  sleeves  of  the  burattino.  "  come  ;  take  a 
look  at  me.  That's  right :  yes  ;  you  are  very  good-look- 
ing, and  I  am  happy  to  make  so  close  an  acquaintance 
with  you.  And  now,  I  declare  I  remember  you  !  Yon 
are  Stentarello,  that  very  joyous,  satirical  and  graceful 
Stentarello  who  made  me  laugh  so  much  a  fortnight  ago  at 
Stockholm  !  And  you,  young  man,"  continued  M.  Goefle, 
turning  to  his  guest  —  "although  I  have  never  seen  your 
face  before,  yet  1  recognize  you  perfectly  by  your  voice, 
your  sprightliuess,  your  gayety,  and  your  sensibility  as 
well  —  you  are  Christian  Waldo,  the  famous  operator  of 
the  Neapolitan  burattini  !  " 

"Very  much  at  your  service,"  answered  Christian 
Waldo,  bowing  to  the  doctor  of  laws  with  much  grace  ; 
"and  if  you  would  like  to  know  how  Cristiano  del  Lago, 
Cristiano  Goffredi,  and  Christian  Waldo  came  to  be  one 
and  the  same  person,  attend  to  the  rest  of  my  adven- 
tures." 

"I  am  listening,  and  with  a  great  deal  of  curiosity, 
too.  But  I  want  to  know  when  you  received  this  new 
name  of  Christian  Waldo?" 

"Oh,  that  one  is  really  new.  It  only  dates  back  to 
last  autumn,  and  I  should  find  it  difficult  to  tell  why  I 


THE  SNOW  MAN.  165 

adopted  it.  The  fact  is,  I  believe  it  came  to  me  in  a 
dream,  and  that  it  is  a  reminiscence  of  the  name  of  some 
locality  which  made  an  impression  upon  my  mind  during 
my  infancy." 

"That  is  singular!  Well,  no  matter.  You  left  off 
inside  the  theatre  of  marionettes,  in  the  square  of — " 

"Of  Celauo,"  said  Christian ;  "again  on  the  borders 
of  a  beautiful  lake.  I  assure  you,  Monsieur  Goefle, 
that  my  destiny  is  linked  in  with  lakes  ;  there  certainly 
is  some  mystery  under  the  association,  which  perhaps 
some  day  I  shall  penetrate. 

"You  have  not  forgotten  that  the  police  were  at  my 
heels,  and  that  had  it  not  been  for  the  booth  of  marion- 
ettes, I  should  probably  have  been  taken  and  hung. 
This  booth,  however,  was  very  small,  and  could  hardly 
contain  more- than  one  man.  When  I  asked  you  if  you 
knew  how  these  marionette  theatres  are  constructed  — 
an  excusable  inquiry,  since  this  characteristic  Italian 
amusement  is  not  common  in  your  country,  and  perhaps 
has  never  been  brought  here  except  by  myself—  it  was 
with  the  intention  of  explaining  my  position  between  the 
feet  of  the  operator,  who,  busily  occupied  in  making 
Punchinello  fight  with  an  officer,  with  his  hands  and  eyes 
both  raised  as  high  as  possible,  and  his  mind  intensely 
concentrated  upon  the  work  of  improvising  his  burlesque 
drama,  had  no  time  to  notice  or  to  understand  what  was 
taking  place  in  the  vicinity  of  his  knees.  There  remained, 
therefore,  only  a  single  minute  before  the  denouement  of 
the  piece  and  my  own  fate  together. 

"I  felt  that  it  would  not  do  to  trust  my  safety  to  mere 
chance.  Picking  up  from  the  ground  two  burattini, 
which,  by  a  curious  coincidence  with  my  own  circum- 
stances, represented  a  judge  and  a  hangman,  and  rising 
up  as  well  as  I  could  by  the  side  of  the  operator,  I 
placed  the  marionettes  upon  the  stage,  and  at  the 
risk  of  breaking  through  the  cloth  awning  of  the  box, 
introduced  an  unexpected  scene  into  the  piece,  quite  im- 
promptu. This  scene  had  an  immense  success  ;  and  my 
associate,  without  being  the  least  in  the  world  discon- 
certed, received  it  quite  as  a  matter  of  course,  and 


X66  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

although  extremely  crowded  for  room,  sustained  his  part 
of  the  dialogue  with  extraordinary  gayety  and  presence 
of  mind." 

"Wonderful,  fantastic  Italy!"  exclaimed  M.  Goefle  ; 
"nowhere  else  are  men's  faculties  so  keen  and  so 
ready ! " 

"My  companion,"  continued  Christian,  "was  a  good 
deal  more  penetrating  than  you  have  imagined.  lie  had 
recognized  me  ;  had  comprehended  my  situation,  and  had 
resolved  to  rescue  me." 

"And  did  he  do  so?" 

"  Most  effectually  :  while  I  was  delivering  the  closing 
speech  to  the  public  in  his  stead,  he,  without  saying  a 
word,  put  an  old  cap  of  his  own  on  my  head,  flung  a 
tattered  red  cloak  about  my  shoulders,  and  rubbed  some 
ochre  on  my  face.  Then,  as  soon  as  the  curtain  had 
fallen,  he  said  in  my  ear : 

"'Goffredi,  take  the  theatre  on  your  back  and  fol- 
low me.' 

"And,  in  fact,  we  passed  through  the  square  in  this 
way,  and  left  the  village  without  being  molested.  We 
travelled  all  night,  and  before  daylight  had  reached  the 
Roman  campagna." 

"  But  who  was  this  devoted  friend?" 

"It  Avas  a  young  man  of  good  family,  one  Guido 
Massarelli,  who,  like  myself,  had  run  away  from  the 
kingdom  of  Naples.  His  difficulty  was  a  less  serious 
one  than  mine  ;  he  had  fled  only  from  his  creditors.  But 
he  was  not  so  good  a  fellow  as  'I,  Monsieur  Goefle, 
notwithstanding  ;  I  give  you  my  word  for  it !  Still,  he 
was  an  amiable  young  mau,  well  educated,  accomplished, 
and  with  extremely  attractive  .manners.  I  had  been 
quite  intimate  with  him  in  Naples,  where  he  had  wasted 
his  property,  and  had  made  many  friends.  He  was  the 
son  of  a  wealthy  merchant,  was  naturally  well  endowed, 
and  had  received  an  excellent  education  ;  but,  like  my- 
self, he  had  been  too  early  launched  in  a  society  much 
too  expensive  for  him  ;  so  that  he  speedily  found  himself 
without  resources.  I  had  myself  supported  him  for  some 
time ;  but  as  he  could  not  be  contented  to  live  simply, 


THE   SNOW  MAN.  167 

and  had  not  the  force  of  character  to  work  for  a  living, 
he  had  ended  by  becoming  a  swindler." 

"Did  you  know  this?" 

"I  did,  but  I  could  not  find  it  in  my  heart  to  reproach 
him  at  the  moment  when  he  had  saved  my  life.  Like 
myself,  he  was  in  a  state  of  complete  destitution.  He 
had  absconded  with  a  few  crowns,  and  with  these 
had  purchased  from  a  mountebank  a  theatre  of  marion- 
ettes, which  he  used  not  so  much  to  make  his  living  as  to 
hide  his  face. 

'"This  business  of  mine,'  he  said,  'is  a  stroke  of 
genius  upon  my  part.  Here  I  have  been  for  two 
months  rambling  about  the  kingdom  of  Naples  without 
being  recognized.  Perhaps  you  will  ask  why  I  do  not 
go  further  away.  The  reason  is,  that  I  have  creditors  in 
all  parts  of  Italy  ;  I  shall  find  them  everywhere,  unless  I 
go  as  far  as  France.  Besides,  I  had  left  some  little 
love  affairs  at  Naples  that  were  still  pulling  at  my  heart, 
and  I  could  not  make  up  my  mind  to  leave  the  neighbor- 
hood. This  light  cloth  watch-tower  keeps  me  invisible 
in  the  midst  of  the  crowd.  While  all  eyes  are  fixed 
upon  myburattini,  no  one  thinks  of  inquiring  who  the  man 
is  that  moves  them.  I  go  from  one  neighborhood  to 
another  walking  erect  inside  of  my  shell,  and  when  I  am 
once  out  of  it,  nobody  knows  that  I  am  the  same  person 
who  has  been  diverting  the  public.' 

" 'It  certainly  is  a  good  idea,'  I  said;  'but  what  do 
you  propose  to  do  now?' 

'"Whatever  you  choose,'  he  answered;  'I  am  so 
glad  to  meet  you  again,  and  to  be  of  service  to  you,  that 
I  will  go  with  you  wherever  you  like.  I  am  more 
attached  to  you  than  I  can  express.  You  have  always 
treated  me  with  indulgence.  You  are  not  rich,  but  you 
have  done  much  more  for  me  in  proportion  than  many 
of  my  friends  who  are.  You  have  defended  me  when  I 
have  been  accused ;  and  even  while  blaming  me  for  my 
follies,  have  always  tried  to  persuade  me  that  I  was  per- 
fectly able  to  reform.  I  do  not  know  that  you  are 
right,  but  I  am  sure  of  this :  that  for  flie  sake  of 
pleasing  you,  I  will  make  one  supreme  effort,  only  pro- 


!68  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

vided  it  be  out  of  Italy ;  for  anywhere  in  Italy  I  am 
lost  and  dishonored.  If  I  am  to  attempt  a  better  life,  I 
must  do  it  in  a  foreign  country,  and  under  an  assumed 
name.' 

"  Guido  spoke  with  deep  earnestness,  and  even  shed 
tears.  I  knew  him  to  be  kind-hearted,  and  I  believed 
him  sincere.  Perhaps  he  was  so  at  that  moment.  To 
tell  you  the  truth,  I  have  always  felt  very  indulgent 
towards  those  who  are  generous  as  Avell  as  prodigal,  and 
this  was  the  case  with  Guido,  to  my  own  knowledge.  I 
beg  you,  however,  Monsieur  Goefle,  not  to  suppose  that 
I  confound  together  liberality  and  selfish  extravagance, 
although  I,  too,  have  been  an  offender  in  this  respect. 
At  any  rate,  I  allowed  myself  to  be  moved  and  persuaded 
by  my  old  comrade  and  new  friend  ;  so  you  will  please  to 
imagine  us  within  the  territories  of  the  pope,  breakfasting 
frugally  together  under  the  shade  of  a  clump  of  pine-trees, 
and  arranging  a  joint  plan  of  operations. 

"  We  were  equally  destitute  ;  but  my  situation,  though 
in  a  legal  point  of  view  more  serious  than  his,  was  still 
by  no  means  desperate.  It  would  have  been  quite  pos- 
sible for  me  to  have  effected  my  escape  without  so  much 
risk,  fatigue  and  suffering.  I  should  only  have  had  to 
take  refuge  outside  the  city  of  Naples,  with  any  one  of  a 
number  of  honorable  persons,  who  had  assured  me  of 
their  friendship,  and  who  would  certainly  have  believed 
my  word  when  I  described  to  them  how  I  had  been  in 
some  sort  forced  to  kill  my  cowardly  enemy.  He  was 
hated,  and  I  was  beloved.  I  should  have  been  well  re- 
ceived, concealed,  properly  cared  for,  and  enabled  to 
leave  the  country  in  safety  under  influential  protection. 
The  police,  and  even  the  inquisition,  can  sometimes  be 
induced  to  close  their  eyes  when  sufficient  influence  is  ex- 
erted. However,  I  could  not  bring  myself  to  adopt  this 
plan ;  I  felt  an  insurmountable  repugnance  to  it,  on  uc- 
couiit  of  my  poverty,  and  the  necessity  I  should  have 
been  under  of  accepting  aid  at  the  very  outset.  While  I 
was  with  the  cardinal,  my  salary  had  been  too  liberal  to 
justify  me  m  leaving  him  empty  handed.  He  himself 
would  certainly  never  have  suspected  how  destitute  I 


THE  SNOW  MAN.  169 

was.  I  should  have  beeu  ashamed  to  confess,  not  that 
I  was  without  money,  for  the  young  men  in  the  circle  I 
frequented  were  constantly  in  a  similar  condition,  but  that 
1  had  no  prospect  of  receiving  any  until  I  had  earned  it 
in  some  new  employment ;  and  still  further,  the  fact  that 
it  would  be  necessaiy  for  me  to  live  much  more  sensibly 
and  prudently  than  I  had  done  in  the  past.  Upon  this 
latter  point  I  was  quite  ready  to  enter  into  an  engagement 
with  myself;  but,  under  the  circumstances,  my  pride 
would  not  allow  me  to  make  promises  to  others. 

"  When  I  explained  my  situation  to  Guido  Massarelli, 
he  was  greatly  astonished  at  my  scruples,  and  seemed  even 
to  feel  a  sort  of  contempt  for  them.  But  the  more  he  urged 
me  to  apply  to  my  friends  in  Rome  for  assistance,  the 
more  repugnant  the  idea  became  to  me.  Perhaps  I  was 
unreasonable  about  it ;  but  at  any  rate,  while  I  felt  no 
shame  at  all  at  being  reduced  to  the  necessity  of  eating 
lupins  with  my  companion  in  misfortune,  it  is  certain  that 
I  would  have  died  of  hunger  rather  than  go  with  him 
to  beg  a  dinner  of  my  old  acquaintances.  He  had  so  long 
abused  the  efficacy  of  applications  for  aid,  promises,  useless 
repentances  and  artfully  contrived  narratives,  that  I  should 
have  been  very  much  afraid  of  being  supposed  engaged  in 
a  similar  course. 

"'We  have  been  foolish,'  I  said  to  him,  'and  we 
ought  to  be  men  enough  to  take  the  consequences.  For 
my  part,  I  have  decided  to  proceed  into  France  by  the 
way  of  Genoa,  or  else  into  Germany  by  Venice.  I  shall 
go  on  foot,  and  live  as  I  can.  As  soon  as  I  can  reach 
some  large  town  outside  of  Italy,  for  here  I  am  constantly 
in  danger  of  falling  into  the  hands  of  the  Neapolitan  police 
from  the  least  imprudence,  I  will  look  out  for  some  reg- 
ular employment.  I  will  write  to  the  cardinal,  and  justify 
myself;  from  my  friends  I  will  request  letters  of  recom- 
mendation, and  I  am  confident  that,  after  more  or  less  of 
poverty  and  delay,  I  shall  find  some  respectable  position. 
If  you  like  to  come  with  me,  come,  and  I  will  help  you 
to  the  best  of  my  ability  in  doing  as  I  do  —  that  is,  in 
earning  a-  respectable  living  by  honest  work."* ' 

"  Guido  seemed  so  perfectly  willing,  and  so  well  con- 


170 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


vinced,  that  I  no  longer  hesitated  to  allow  myself  the  en- 
joyment of  an  intimacy  with  him.  In  fact,  I  have  often 
observed  that  a  thorough  scoundrel  is  often  one  of  the 
most  agreeable  of  men,  and  that  the  most  companionable 
people  are  frequently  those  most  destitute  of  dignity  of 
character.  But  we  have  an  absurd  sort  of  conceit  that 
makes  us  believe  that  we  can  exert  an  influence  over  such 
unfortunates ;  and  when  they  deceive  us,  the  fault  is  aa 
much  ours  as  theirs. 

"I  make  these  preliminary  reflections  so  as  to  avoid 
interrupting  the  account  of  Avhat  followed. 

"  Our  first  business  was  to  escape  from  Italy  :  in  other 
words,  to  travel  some  hundreds  of  leagues  without  a  farth- 
ing in  our  pockets.  I  promised  that  I  would  find  the 
means,  asking  only  for  a  few  days'  rest  to  enable  my 
wound  to  heal,  for  it  was  very  painful  and  feverish. 

"  '  In  the  meanwhile,'  I  said,  '  go  and  provide  for  your- 
self. I  will  take  a  loaf  of  bread  and  establish  myself 
under  a  rock,  near  a  spring.  That  ought  to  be  sufficient 
for  a  man  in  a  fever.  We  will  appoint  some  place  of 
meeting,  and  I  will  join  you  as  soon  as  I  can  travel.' 

"  He  refused  to  depart,  and  devoted  himself  to  taking 
cai'e  of  me  ;  and  so  much  zeal  and  ingenuity  did  he  dis- 
play in  relieving  my  pain  and  supplying  my  wants,  that  I 
could  not  help  feeling  sincerely  grateful.  In  three  days 
I  was  upon  my  feet  again,  and  by  this  time  I  had  made 
my  reflections. 

"  In  brief,  this  was  their  result.  I  had  come  to  the 
conclusion  that  we  could  not  do  better  than  to  continue 
our  marionette  exhibition,  which  only  required  to  be 
made  more  profitable  and  less  vulgar.  We  needed  to  es- 
cape from  the  everlasting  drama  of  Punchinello,  to  choose 
plots  equally  simple,  but  less  threadbare  ;  and,  taking 
these  for  the  groundwork,  to  improvise  together  amusing 
little  comedies.  Guido  had  enough,  and  to  spare,  of  wit 
for  this  sort  of  work,  and  instead  of  applying  himself  to 
it  with  reluctance  and  dislike,  he  saw  at  once  that,  with 
an  agreeable  companion,  it  could  be  made  very  amusing. 
It  is  a  gencTa!  rule,  by  the  way,  that  we  cannot  entertain 
other  people  when  we  are  bored  ourselves.  So  he  read- 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


171 


ily  assisted  me  to  build  a  portable  theatre  iu  two  sections, 
one  of  which  served  each  of  us  as  a  shelter,  in  which 
we  walked,  safe  from  sun,  rain,  and  police-officers ;  and 
which,  when  joined  together  by  a  few  hooks,  formed  a 
stage  large  enough  for  the  manoeuvring  of  our  two  pairs 
of  hands.  I  transformed  his  wretched  burattini  into  in- 
telligent and  well-costumed  figures,  and  added  to  them  a 
dozen  characters  invented  by  myself.  Then,  in  the  open 
air,  in  a  solitary  wilderness,  we  made  the  first  trial  of  our 
new  theatre. 

"  The  sale  of  my  little  devotional  images  carved  out 
of  stone,  which  Guido  sold  about  the  country  to  much 
better  advantage  than  I  could  have  done,  defrayed  the 
humble  expenses  of  this  establishment.  In  about  a  week 
we  had  advanced  so  far  as  to  give  a  dozen  representations 
in  the  suburbs  of  Rome,  which  had  the  greatest  success, 
and  netted  the  fabulous  profit  of  three  Roman  crowns ! 
This  was  enough  to  enable  us  to  set  out  on  our  journey 
across  the  deserted  regions  that  separate  the  Eternal  City 
from  the  other  provinces  of  Italy.  Guido,  who  was  de- 
lighted at  our  success,  wanted  to  stay  longer  at  Rome.  It 
is  very  true  that  we  might  have  risked  going  into  the  more 
fashionable  quarters  of  the  city,  so  as  to  have  attracted  the 
attention  of  a  better  class  of  society  to  our  little  comedies. 
But  that  was  precisely  Avhat  I  was  afraid  of,  and  what  we 
both  needed  to  be  afraid  of,  considering  our  reasons  for 
remaining  concealed.  I  therefore  overruled  my  compan- 
ion, and  we  took  the  road  to  Florence,  exhibiting,  as  we 
went,  in  the  villages  and  small  towns,  to  pay  our  current 
expenses. 

"  We  went  by  the  way  of  Perugia,  and  it  was  not 
without  a  reason  that  I  preferred  this  to  the  Sienna  route. 
I  wished  to  see  again  my  own  beautiful  and  beloved  city, 
my  sweet  lake  of  Thrasymeue,  and,  most  of  all,  the  little 
villa  where  I  had  been  so  happy.  We  reached  Bassig- 
nano  at  nightfall.  Never  had  1  seen  the  sun  setting  in  such 
luminous  splendor  in  waters  so  calm  and  transparent !  I 
left  Guido  to  establish  himself  in  a  small  inn,  while  I 
went  along  the  shore  of  the  lake  towards  the  little  villa 
which  had  formerly  been  occupied  by  the  Goffredis. 


172 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


"  In  order  to  avoid  being  recognized  in  the  neighbor- 
hood, I  put  on  a  mask  and  a  harlequin  hat,  which  I  had 
bought  at  Rome  to  use  in  case  of  danger.  A  few  parti- 
colored rags  transformed  me  into  a  professional  moun- 
tebank—  a  very  appropriate  character  for  an  exhibitor  of 
marionettes  employed  in  distributing  handbills.  The  vil- 
lage children,  fancying  that  I  was  going  to  play  tricks  for 
their  amusement,  followed  me  with  cries  of  joy,  but  I 
drove  them  away  with  my  wooden  sword,  and  was  soon 
alone  upon  the  shore. 

"  The  night  had  come  on,  but  the  air  was  bright,  and 
in  the  limpid  crystal  of  the  lake,  where  the  lines  of  the 
horizon  were  indistinguishable  in  the  twilight,  I  seemed 
to  trace  and  follow  the  immensity  of  the  starry  heavens, 
and  to  float,  like  a  disembodied  spirit,  upon  some  fantastic 
similitude  of  infinity.  Ah,  Monsieur  Goefle  !  how  strange 
is  life  sometimes  !  And  what  a  strange  appearance  did 
I  myself  present,  in  that  grotesque  costume,  seeking  about, 
like  a  lost  soul,  under  the  shade  of  the  willows,  which  had 
grown  in  my  absence,  for  the  solitary  tomb  of  my  poor 
parents  !  For  a  moment  I  believed  that  it  had  been  re- 
moved, that  they  had  robbed  me  of  it  —  for  it  was  mine  — 
my  only  possession  !  With  my  very  last  means  I  had 
purchased  the  little  nook  of  consecrated  earth  where  I 
had  laid  their  remains. 

"  At  last,  however,  I  discovered  the  humble  tomb,  and, 
sitting  down  by  it,  and  taking  off  my  harlequin's  mask,  I 
wept  freely.  I  remained  there  for  a  good  part  of  the 
night  plunged  in  reflection,  for  I  desired,  before  leaving 
this  spot  probably  for  the  last  time,  to  review7  my  life,  to 
repent  of  my  errors,  and  to  make  good  resolutions  for  the 
future.  Divine  grace  is  no  illusion,  Monsieur  Goefle.  I 
do  not  know  to  what  extent  you  are  a  Lutheran,  and  for 
my  part  I  do  not  pretend  to  be  very  much  of  a  Catholic. 
In  these  days,  in  fact,  nobody  believes  in  very  much  of 
anything,  unless  it  be  in  the  necessity  and  duty  of  toler- 
ation. But  I  believe,  in  a  vague  sort  of  way,  in  a  soul 
of  the  world — no  matter  by  what  name  you  call  it  —  a 
great  soul  all  love  and  goodness,  which  receives  our  tears 
-and  our  aspirations.  The  philosophers  are  just  now  as- 


THE   SNQW  MAN,  ij$ 

serting  that  it  is  a  platitude  to  imagine  that  the  Being  of 
beings  will  condescend  to  concern  himself  with  such  worms 
as  the  human  race.  But  I  say  that  there  is  nothing  cither 
great  or  small,  in  the  sight  of  Him  who  is  All ;  and  that, 
in  an  ocean  of  Love,  there  will  always  be  room  to  receive 
with  kindness  one  poor  little  human  tear. 

"Accordingly  I  instituted  an  examination  of  my  con- 
science over  that  tomb  ;  and,  in  the  rain  of  soft  light 
which  fell  upon  me  from  the  quiet  stars,  I  fancied  that  the 
two  beings  whom  I  had  loved  as  a  father  and  mother, 
must  surely  be  sending  at  least  one  ray  to  find  me  out  and 
bless  me.  I  felt  that  between  me  and  them  there  was 
neither  crime,  shame,  cowardice,  nor  impiety.  I  had 
never  forgotten  them  for  a  single  day ;  and,  in  the  very 
midst  of  my  dissipations,  whenever  the  demon  of  youth 
and  curiosity  had  urged  me  towards  the  deeper  abysses 
of  this  vicious  and  unbelieving  world,  I  had  always  drawn 
back  and  protecte'd  myself  by  invoking  the  memories  of 
Silvio  and  Sophia. 

"To  have  avoided  evil,  however,  was  not  enough;  it 
was  my  duty  to  do  well.  Well-doing  is  a  task  which 
varies  with  the  position  and  capabilities  of  each  one  of  us. 
My  own  duty  was,  to  continue  the  labors  of  Silvio  Gof- 
fredi,  and  to  accumulate  the  means  of  writing  out  and 
publishing  the  results  of  his  researches.  For  this  it 
would  have  been  necessary,  in  the  first  place,  to  acquire 
quite  a  fortune,  in  order  to  complete  his  travels.  I  had 
at  first  thought  of  doing  this,  but  my  iuexperience,  the 
pleasures  of  the  senses,  and  bad  examples,  had  led  me  on, 
from  day  to  day,  in  a  life  like  that  of  a  mere  adventurer. 
It  was  this  reckless  course  which  had  resulted  in  my  ruin. 
If  I  had  remained  contented  with  the  appropriate  position 
of  a  modest  professor,  I  should  not  have  been  obliged  to 
kill  Marco  Melfi.  He  would  never  have  thought  of  in- 
sulting me  ;  indeed,  he  would  not  have  met  me  in  the  car- 
dinal's saloons.  He  would  not  have  searched  me  out  in 
my  study  among  my  books  —  he  would  not  even  have 
known  that  I  existed.  I  had  tried  to  play  the  gentleman, 
and  had  been  obliged  to  become  a  bully. 

"  '  How  my  poor  mother  would  have  wept ! '  I  thought 


!^  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

to  myself,  '  to  have  seen  me  transformed  into  a  strolling 
mountebank,  bruising,  on  the  stones  of  the  pavement,  the 
feet  that  she  used  to  warm  in  her  own  hands  before  put- 
ting me  in  my  cradle  !  And  would  not  my  father  have 
disapproved  of  the  false  sense  of  honor  which  had  made 
me  a  murderer  and  an  outcast?' 

"  I  remembered  the  quick  sensibilities  and  scrupulous 
pride  of  the  noble  Silvio,  and  yet  he  could  not  manage  a 
sword,  and  had  refused  to  allow  me  a  fencing-master.  '  A 
man's  honor,'  he  used  to  say,  '  must  be  very  frail,  if  he 
could  not  make  himself  respected  without  having  a  sword 
dangling  at  his  side.' 

"  By  the  memory  of  these  dear  and  holy  friends  I  took 
an  oatli  to  amend  my  faults  ;  and,  after  gazing  for  a  long 
time  at  the  heavens,  where  I  imagined  them  reunited  in 
some  happy  star,  I  returned  at  once  to  the  village,  with- 
out caring  any  longer  to  go  in  search  of  the  villetta. 
Why  should  I  have  gone  there  to  indillge  in  barren  re- 
grets? It  was  not  to  enable  me  to  live  in  idleness  that 
Goffredi  had  bequeathed  it  to  me.  He  must  needs  have 
blessed  me,  even  from  his  tomb,  for  alienating  the  prop- 
erty, and  expending  his  whole  fortune  in  solacing  the  last 
days  of  his  widow.  But  when  that  was  done,  I  ought  to 
have  labored  all  the  harder,  instead  of  acting  as  if  one 
small  act  of  devotion  to  my  family  had  given  me  a  right 
to  go  and  live  in  dissipation  at  the  tables  of  idlers. 

"  On  the  shore  of  the  lake  I  met  Guido  Massarelli ;  my 
long  absence  had  made  him  uneasy,  and  he  was  coming 
to  look  for  me.  I  opened  my  heart  to  him,  and  he  seemed 
to  be  greatly  touched  by  my  emotion.  We  sat  down  in  a 
boat  moored  to  the  shore,  and  talked  sentiment,  ethics, 
philosophy,  metaphysics,  astronomy,  and  poetry,  uatil  the 
day  began  to  dawn.  Guido  possessed  a  very  noble  intel- 
lect. And,  indeed,  this  strange  anomaly  occurs  in  the  case 
of  many  worthless  characters,  as  if  to  make  us  doubt  the 
validity  of  God's  own  logic. 

"  Next  day  we  were  on  the  road  again,  and  some  days 
later  were  attracting  a  crowd  on  the  Piazza  del  Palazzo 
Vecchio,  at  Florence.  Our  receipts  were  excellent.  If 
we  had  chosen,  we  could  have  travelled  to  Genoa  bv 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


'75 


wagon.  We  preferred  to  walk,  however,  although  our 
loads,  continually  augmented  by  additional  figures  and 
scenery,  had  become  very  heavy. 

"  At  Genoa,  further  success,  and  extraordinary  receipts. 
We  became  such  favorites  that  we  were  unable  to  comply 
even  with  the  private  engagements  that  were  offered  us. 
At  first  we  had  simply  amused  the  common  people,  who 
gathered  on  the  public  square  ;  but  passers-by  of  higher 
rank  had  chanced  to  stop  before  our  booth,  and  we  could 
not  resist  the  temptation  of  elevating  our  dialogue  on  the 
occasion  to  a  correspondingly  higher  intellectual  level. 

"  This  was  observed,  and  was  spoken  of  in  society. 
One  of  these  casual  listeners  was  a  Marquis  Spinola,  who 
invited  us  to  his  house  to  amuse  his  children.  We  went 
masked,  as  usual,  for  we  made  our  incognito  an  express 
condition  of  appearing.  Our  theatre  was  erected  in  the 
garden,  and  we  had  for  an  audience  the  best  and  most  bril- 
liant society  of  the  city. 

"  For  days  afterwards,  we  knew  not  which  way  to  turn. 
Our  representations  were  in  the  greatest  demand,  and 
Guido  demanded  extremely  high  prices,  which  were  con- 
ceded without  hesitation.  The  mystery  with  which  we 
surrounded  ourselves,  the  pains  we  took  to  remain 
masked  outside  of  our  theatre,  and  the  fantastic  names  we 
had  assumed,  added,  no  doubt,  to  our  popularity.  Every 
one  readily  guessed  that  we  were  two  young  men  of  good 
family  ;  but  while  some  guessed,  also,  that  it  was  our  own 
follies  that  had  forced  us  to  become  wandering  showmen, 
others  tried  to  persuade  themselves  that  we  had  adopted 
this  employment  merely  for  our  amusement,  and  on  a 
wager.  Some  went  so  far  as  to  insist  upon  it  that  we 
were  two  young  men  of  the  city,  who,  as  we  learned 
later,  were  very  well  pleased  with  the  imputation. 

"At  Nice,  at  Toulon,  everywhere  until  we  reached 
Marseilles,  our  progress  was  a  series  of  triumphs.  As 
we  travelled  slowly,  our  fame  preceded  us,  and  at  every 
inn  where  AVC  stopped  we  heard  that  persons  had  already 
come  to  inquire  after  us,  and  to  engage  our  evenings. 

"From  Marseilles  our  success  diminished  steadily,  until 
we  reached  Paris.  My  knowledge  of  the  French  Ian- 


176 


THE   SNOW  MAA7. 


guage  was  thorough ;  and,  as  I  improved  daily,  I  soon 
freed  myself  from  the  Italian  accent  which  had  prevented 
me  at  first  from  giving  sufficient  variety  to  the  intona- 
tions of  my  actors.  But  Guide's  accent,  which  was 
much  more  pronounced  than  mine,  seemed  to  become- 
stronger  rather  than  otherwise,  and  our  dialogue  suffered 
in  consequence.  This,  however,  scarcely  troubled  me  at 
all.  Our  career  as  professional  buffoons  was  approaching 
an  end,  and  I  flattered  myself  that  I  should  soon  be  able 
to  command  a  more  dignified  position." 


VI. 

A  FTER  resting  a  few  moments,  Cristiano —  we  will 
^~  hereafter  call  him  Christian  —  continued  his  narra- 
tive as  follows : 

"  But  I  must  not  forget  to  tell  you  of  a  well-known  indi- 
vidual whom  I  happened  to  meet  at  this  time  ;  an  inter- 
esting encounter  that  reconciled  me  for  some  days  longer 
to  my  wandering  life.  The  person  to  whom  I  refer  is  a 
very  remarkable  man,  who  still  holds  a  most  respectable 
position  in  Parisj  and  whose  name  is  no  doubt  known  to 
you :  I  mean  Philip  Ledru,  commonly  called  Comus." 

"  Certainly,"  said  M.  Goefle  ;  t;  I  have  seen  it  stated 
in  my  scientific  journal  that  this  skilful  prestigiator  was 
a  profound  physicist,  and  that  his  researches  upon  the 
magnet  had  enriched  science  with  various  new  instru- 
ments of  rare  perfection.  Is  it  the  same  person?" 

"The  same,  M.  Goefle.  Comus  has  been  appointed 
professor  to  the  young  French  princes ;  he  has  pre- 
pared a  set  of  nautical  charts  upon  a  new  system, 
the  result  of  an  immense  series  of  researches,  un- 
dertaken by  the  king's  order,  and  has  furnished  M. 
de  la  Perouse  with  a  set  of  manuscript  copies  of 
these  charts.  Indeed,  ever  since  the  time  when  I  first 
encountered  him  travelling  about  the  country,  in  the 
character  of  a  poor  but  learned  man,  furnishing  the 
public  with  instruction  in  the  form  of  amusement,  he  has 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


177 


steadily  and  rapidly  risen  in  the  public  esteem,  in  the 
favor  of  the  ministry,  and  in  the  command  of  means  for 
making  practical  the  results  of  his  profound  knowledge. 

"I  first  met  this  really  great  man,  not  exactly  in  the 
public  streets  of  Lyons,  but  in  a  hall  intended  for  the 
representations  of  wandering  performers,  and  which  we 
both  wished  to  hire  for  our  several  purposes.  As  I  was 
used  to  a  good  deal  of  absurdity  or  else  coarseness  on  the 
part  of  such  competitors,  I  was  quite  on  my  guard ;  but 
as  soon  as  Comus  addressed  me,  I  was  struck  by  his 
charming  and  even  distinguished  manners.  He  was  a  man 
of  about  thirty-five  years  of  age,  and  had  a  magnificent 
constitution.  Equally  vigorous  in  body  and  in  mind, 
equally  quick  in  his  movements  and  ready  and  agreeable 
in  conversation,  he  was,  in  a  word,  one  of  those  admir- 
ably endowed  human  beings  who  must  from  necessity 
emerge  from  obscurity.  He  inquired  about  my  em- 
ployment, and  seemed  astonished  to  find  that  I  was 
sufficiently  educated  to  be  able  to  converse  with  him. 
I  told  him  about  my  circumstances,  and  he  conceived  a 
friendship  for  me. 

"After  coming  to  one  of  our  performances,  with  which 
he  was  greatly  diverted,  he  invited  us,  in  his  turn,  to 
attend  his  exhibition.  This  I  witnessed,  much  to  my 
advantage,  for  Comus  possessed  various  secrets  known 
only  to  himself;  which,  however,  consisted  merely  in 
some  single  application,  out  of  a  thousand,  of  his  own 
profound  discoveries.  He  was  very  willing  to  explain 
them  to  me,  and  finding  that  I  was  not  without  intelli- 
gence, he  invited  me  to  be  his  associate — to  share  with 
him  his  projects  and  adventures.  I  declined  this  prop- 
osition with  regret,  and  to  my  own  loss  ;  with  regret, 
because  Comus  was  one  of  the  best,  the  most  disinter- 
ested, and  the  most  sympathetic  men  I  have  ever  known  ; 
and  to  my  own  loss,  because,  although  then  a  travelling 
exhibitor  in  natural  science,  he  was  a  person  whb  could 
not  fail  before  long  to  find  some  serious  and  useful  em- 
ployment for  his  great  talents.  I  had  sworn  to  Massa- 
relli  not  to  desert  him,  and  he  had  no  taste  for  the 
sciences. 


178 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


"Thi3  meeting,  which  I  was  not  wise  enough  to  turn  to 
account  as  far  as  regards  my  material  interests,  was  so 
beneficial  to  me  in  a  moral  point  of  view,  that  I  shall 
always  thank  God  for  it.  Allow  me  to  repeat  to  you,  as 
briefly  as  possible,  the  advice  which  this  judicious  and 
excellent  man  was  so  kind  as  to  give  me — in  the  pleas- 
antest  and  most  friendly  way,  and  without  a  tinge  of 
pedantry — during  a  quiet  supper  that  Ave  took  together 
at  the  inn,  amongst  the  chests  that  contained  our  bag- 
gage ;  for  we  were  ready  to  start  on  the  next  morning. 

"'My  dear  Goffredi,'  he  said,  'I  am  sorry  to  part 
with  you  so  soon  ;  the  grief  that  you  feel  I  share  Avith 
my  whole  heart.  We  have  been  together  only  for  a  few 
days,  but  in  that  time  I  have  learned  to  know  and  to  ap- 
preciate you.  But  do  not  be  uneasy  or  discouraged  about 
your  future  life.  It  will  be  prosperous,  if  it  is  useful. 
You  see  that  my  advice  is  very  different  from  what  is 
usually  given  ;  but,  if  you  follow  it,  you  will  find  that  it 
is  dictated  by  sound  common  sense.  Others  will  tell  you 
to  sacrifice  everything  to  ambition ;  I  tell  you  to  give  all 
your  true  interests  precedence  before  ambition  —  as  it  is 
commonly  understood.  I  mean  to  say  this  :  be  perfectly 
indifferent  both  to  fortune  and  fame,  and  pursue  only  one 
single  object,  that  of  enlightening  your  fellow-men,  no 
matter  by  what  means,  and  no  matter  in  what  condition 
they  may  be.  All  means  are  good  and  noble  which 
seek  this  end.  You  are  only  a  buffoon,  and  I  am  only  a 
sorcerer  !  Very  good  ;  we  Avill  laugh  at  our  pursuits,  and 
persevere  in  them,  as  long  as  the  marionettes  and  the 
juggling  can  be  made  subservient  to  good  ends.  What 
I  tell  you  now  is  the  secret  of  being  happy  in  spite  of 
everything.  For  my  part,  I  understand  only  two  prin- 
ciples, and  these  constitute  but  one  and  the  same  precept : 
to  love  mankind,  and  to  take  no  account  of  their  preju- 
dices. Contempt  for  error  is  esteem  for  man,  is  it  not? 
Possessed  of  this  secret,  you  will  always  be  sufficiently 
rich  and  sufficiently  famous.  As  for  the  lost  time  that 
you  have  been  regretting,  you  are  quite  young  enough  to 
make  up  for  it.  I.  also,  at  one  time,  was  a  little  friv- 
olous ;  a  little  vain  of  my  youth,  a  little  proud  of  my 


THE   SNOW  MAN.  179 

strength  !  But,  after  wasting  rather  foolishly  my  patri- 
otism and  enthusiasm  in  the  floAver  of  my  age,  I  re- 
trieved my  errors,  and  since  then  have  advanced  steadily. 
My  organization  is  vigorous,  and  so  is  yours.  I  work 
twelve  hours  a  day,  and  any  one  can  do  as  much  who  is 
not  feeble  or  ill.  Apply  yourself  to  study,  and  leave 
silly  minds  to  seek  after  pleasure.  They  will  not  find  it 
where  they  look  for  it,  and  you  will  find  it  Avhere  it  is ; 
that  is,  in  a  quiet  conscience  and  the  exercise  of  your 
nobler  faculties ! ' 

"Having  thus  spoken,  Comus  divided  his  receipts  into 
two  different  sums,  the  one  large  and  the  other  small : 
the  latter  he  kept  for  himself ;  but  the  former  he  sent  as  a 
gift  to  the  hospitals  of  the  city.  I  was  very  much  struck 
with  the  simplicity  and  cheerfulness  with  which  he  made 
this  disposition  of  his  money,  as  if  performing  an  hab- 
itual and  indispensable  duty,  and  one  so  natural  that  it 
did  not  even  occur  to  him  to  conceal  it.  I  reproached 
myself  also  for  haying  forgotten  for  so  long  a  time  the 
precepts  and  examples  of  my  dear  friends,  the  Gof- 
freclis  ;  for  all  that  M.  Comus  said'  and  did  reminded  me 
of  them.  Thus  it  was,  M.  Goefle,  that  a  wandering 
juggler  preached  to  and  converted  a  highway  improv- 
isatore. 

"We  reached  Paris  after  a  journey  that  had  lasted 
three  months,  and  which  I  recall  as  one  of  the  mo°st 
agreeable  experiences  of  my  life.  I  had  not  wasted  my 
time  on  the  road,  for  I  had  studied  carefully  both  nature 
and  society,  as  far  as  they  were  accessible  to  one  who, 
without  claiming  remarkable  perspicacity,  is  not  more 
obtuse  than  his  neighbors.  I  had  taken  notes,  and  fan- 
cied, since  I  had  something  to  say  and  felt  competent  to 
say  it,  that  I  would  have  no  sort  of  difficulty  in  living  by 
my  pen  in  the  centre  of  letters  and  of  arts. 

"It  was  a  sombre  and  melancholy  autumn  day  when 
we  entered  the  great  city.  I  found  it  hard  to  imagine 
that  any  one  could  become  accustomed  to  such  a  climate, 
and  Guido,  from  the  very  first,  showed  visible  signs  of 
gloom  and  discouragement.  We  hired  a  miserable  little 
furnished  room  at  a  very  high  rate,  and  having  taken . 


!8o  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

possession,  we  adjusted  our  toilettes  somewhat,  dis- 
mantled our  theatre,  and  locked  the  burattini  in  a  box. 
It  was  our  purpose  to  sell  the  establishment  to  some 
mountebank ;  aud  for  a  few  days  we  devoted  ourselves 
to  studying  the  language,  and  visiting  the  monuments, 
exhibitions,  and  curiosities  of  the  French  metropolis. 

"At  the  end  of  eight  days  our  little  capital  was  sadly 
diminished,  and  the  worst  of  it  was  that  I  could  see  no 
means  of  renewing  it.  I  found  that  my  hopes  had  de- 
ceived me,  or  rather  that  I  had  not  formed  a  true  concep- 
tion of  what  a  really  great  city  is,  and  of  the  frightful 
isolation  into  which  a  stranger,  without  means,  friends, 
or  recommendations,  almost  necessarily  falls.  I  inquired 
about  Comus,  hoping  that  he  would  help  me  to  find  em- 
ployment, but  he  had  not  yet  returned  from  his  tour,  and, 
moreover,  he  had  at  that  time  only  a  provincial  reputa- 
tion. I  sent  also  for  the  papers  of  Silvio  Goffredi, 
proposing,  by  means  of  them,  to  publish  under  his  name 
the  results  of  his  historical  researches.  I  did  not  expect 
any  pecuniary  profit  to  accrue  from  this  effort,  but  I 
hoped  both  to  fulfil  a  duty  and  to  secure  an  honorable 
position  and  a  few  friends.  There  were  still  several 
persons  in  Italy  who  retained  their  former  regard  for 
me.  They  sent  the  papers  at  my  request,  but  the  parcel 
was  lost ;  it  never  reached  me.  My  letters  to  the  cardi- 
nal and  to  my  young  pupil  remained  unanswered,  and 
others  to  whom  I  wrote  confined  themselves  to  empty 
professions  of  regard,  but  without  venturing  to  commit 
themselves  so  far  as  to  recommend  me  to  such  per- 
sons of  good  standing  of  my  own  nation  as  happened 
to  be  in  Paris.  Indeed,  they  advised  me  not  to  draw 
upon  myself  the  observation  of  our  ambassador,  lest  he 
should  feel  it  his  duty  (he  was  a  relative  of  Marco 
Melfi)  to  obtain  a  lettre  de  cachet  from  the  king  of  France 
for  my  benefit. 

"  As  soon  as  I  realized  what  my  position  was,  I  re- 
solved to  rely  upon  myself  alone ;  and  you  may  rest 
assured,  Monsieur  Goefle,  that  I  deserve  some  credit  for 
maintaining  my  integrity  under  such  circumstances ;  so 
abandoned,  and  reduced  to  such  cruel  straits  in  a  city  so 


THE   SNOW  MAN.  jSi 

luxurious  and  full  of  tempations  as  Paris  !  Only  a  short 
time  before  I  had  been  living  under  a  splendid  sky ;  a 
guest  in  palaces !  Then,  a  careless  traveller,  I  had 
wandered  through  enchanted  lands  ;  but  now  I  was  the 
gloomy  and  dejected  tenant  of  a  garret,  struggling  with 
cold,  famine,  and  sometimes  with  disgust  and  discour- 
agement. And  yet,  thanks  to  God,  I  came  through  vic- 
torious ;  that  is  to  say,  I  did  not  cheat  anybody,  and  did 
not  die  of  starvation.  I  succeeded  in  having  a  few  lit- 
tle books  published,  and  though  I  did  not  make  any 
money  by  them,  they  gave  me  something  of  a  position  in 
a  small  circle  of  humble  and  modest  men  of  science.  I 
had  the  honor  of  furnishing,  indirectly,  the  materials  for 
a  number  of  articles  in  the  Encyclopedia,  on  natural 
science  and  on  Italian  antiquities.  A  marquis  of  lit- 
erary taste  employed  me  as  his  secretary,  and  clothed  me 
decently ;  and  so  I  was  once  more  afloat.  If  dress  is 
not  everything  in  Paris,  it  is  safe  to  say,  at  least,  that  a 
respectable  exterior  is  indispensable  to  one  who  would 
escape  from  poverty.  Now,  thanks  to  my  marquis  and 
my  coat,  society  was  once  more  open  to  me.  This, was 
another  dangerous  rock,  and  I  once  more  risked  being 
shipwrecked.  Pray  do  not  think  me  conceited  if  I  say 
that  it  would  have  been  much  more  to  my  advantage  in 
some  respects,  if  I  had  been  as  ugly  and  as  awkward  as 
your  friend  Stangstadius.  A  good-looking  man  without 
means,  in  society  as  it  is  now  constituted,  will  every- 
where find  a  door  open  to  fortune  —  and  to  shame.  No 
matter  how  circumspect  he  may  be,  he  is  sure  to  find 
himself  pursued  at  every  step  by  the  eager  and  deter- 
mined women  of  gallantry  who  swarm  in  great  cities. 
Had  I  not  been  protected  by  the.  memory  of  the  chaste 
and  proud  Sophia,  I  might  probably  have  suffered  my- 
self to  be  enticed  into  the  labyrinths  of  these  insinuating 
and  industrious  animals. 

"  However,  •!  overcame  this  danger  ;  but  after  a  year's 
residence  in  Paris,  at  the  very  moment  when,  thanks  to 
my  labor  and  economy,  I  was  in  a  fair  way  to  receive  an 
independent  position,  I  was  seized  with  an  extreme  dis- 
gust for  the  city,  and  an  unconquerable  longing  to  travel. 


!82  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

Massaielli  was  the  chief  cause  of  this  disgust.  He  had 
not,  like  myself,  been  able  to  endure  the  privations  and 
anguish  of  waiting.  When  we  first  began  to  be  embar- 
rassed, he  carried  off  the  theatre  of  marionettes  from 
our  lodging,  and  tried  to  earn  a  living  in  the  public 
streets,  amongst  a  class  of  people  of  the  very  worst  sort. 
Unfortunately  for  him,  he  had  not  taken  much  pains  to 
correct  his  accent,  and  he  had  no  success.  So  he  fell 
upon  my  hands  again,  and  for  several  months,  while  I 
was  in  the  greatest  difficulties  myself,  I  was  obliged  to 
feed  and  clothe  him.  At  last,  in  spite  of  his  constantly 
renewed  oaths  of  reformation,  and  his  efforts  to  Avork 
with  me,  he  disappeared.  But  still,  I  did  not  get  rid  of 
him  after  all.  Every  few  weeks  he  came  to  beg  from 
me,  and  sometimes  he  was  intoxicated.  I  shut  the  door 
in  his  face,  but  he  dogged  me  about.  At  last,  having 
contrived  to  make  a  little  money,  by  means  of  various 
infamous  transactions,  he  came  once  more,  drunken  and 
repentant,  to  weep  in  my  bosom ;  he  wanted  now  to 
return  all  that  I  had  given  him.  and.,  moreover,  to  share 
with  me  like,a  brother  !  His  money  and  his  protestations 
disgusted  me  equally,  and  I  refused  all  overtures.  He 
lost  his  temper,  and  wanted  to  fight,  but  this  I  contempt- 
uously refused.  Then  he  undertook  to  strike  me,  and  I 
was  obliged  to  give  him  a  beating.  Next  day  he  wrote 
to  ask  my  forgiveness,  but  my  patience  was  at  an  end ; 
and  as  I  used  to  meet  him  everywhere,  sometimes  even 
in  good  society — -God  only  knows  how  he  gained  admis- 
sion there  —  I  was  apprehensive  of  being  compromised 
by  some  knavish  act  upon  his  part.  I  had  not  the  selfish 
fortitude  to  expose  publicly  a  man  who  had  once  been 
dear  to  me  ;  and  preferred  rather  to  give  up  the  conflict, 
and  retreat  myself.  Fortunately,  I  was  now  able  secure 
good  recommendations,  and,  among  others,  those  of  Co- 
mus,  who  was  just  then  creating  a  great  excitement  in 
Paris  with  his  exhibitions  in  catoptrics  —  that  is,  a 
phantasmagoria  managed  by  mirrors,  in  which,  instead 
of  spectres  and  devils,  he  showed  nothing  but  agreeable 
and  graceful  figures.  His  remarkable  intellect,  and  his 
habits  of  penetrating  observation,  had  given  him  such  a 


THE  SNOW  MAN.  183 

power1  of  judging  the  faces  of  men,  and  such  a  knowl- 
edge of  the  human  heart,  that  he  could  read  people's 
very  thoughts,  almost  as  if  endowed  with  an  actual  gift 
of  divination.  Moreover,  his  profound  studies  in  ap- 
plied mathematics  enabled  him .  to  solve,  while  appar- 
ently merely  performing  diverting  and  ingenious  feats, 
various  problems  entirely  beyond  the  comprehension  of 
ordinary  people,  and  this  skill  many  persons  likened  to 
magic. 

"The  age  AVC  live  in  is  remarkably  intelligent,  and  yet 
the  love  of  the  marvellous  —  a  sentiment  offering  a  sin- 
gular contrast  to  its  other  tendencies,  so  powerful  and 
ill-regulated  in  the  past  —  still  struggles  in  many  minds 
against  the  severer  authority  of  reason.  You  know 
something  about  this,  in  your  country,  where  your 
famous  and  learned  Swedcnborg  is  still  more  sought 
for  as  a  sorcerer  than  as  a  seer  ;  while  he  himself  claimed 
to  understand  the  secrets  of  another  world.  I  do  not 
say  that  Comus  is  more  sincere  or  more  virtuous  than 
Swedenborg,  who  I  know  must  be  mentioned  with  en- 
tire respect,  but  he  has  more  wisdom  and  earnestness  of 
purpose.  He  does  not  pretend  to  act  in  virtue  of  any 
other  laws  than  those  which  the  human  mind  can  dis- 
cover ;  and  he  is  generous  in  communicating  his  secrets 
to  scientific  men  and  travellers,  who  desire  to  utilize 
them  in  the  cause  of  science. 

"He  received  me  with  great  kindness,  and  offered  to 
take  me  with  him  to  England,  to  assist  him  in  his  experi- 
ments. I  was  strongly  tempted  to  accept,  but  my  pref- 
erences led  me  to  apply  myself  to  mineralogy,  botany, 
and  zoology ;  and  also"  to  the  study  of  manners  and  of 
societies.  It  seemed  to  me  that  England  had  been  too 
thoroughly  explored  to  furnish  a  promising  field  for  new 
observations.  And  besides,  Comus  was  at  that  time 
devoted  to  a  special  pursuit  in  which  I  did  not  think  I 
could  be  useful  to  himw  He  was  going  to  London  to 
superintend  personally  the  making  of  some  very  accurate 
instruments  which  he  had  not  been  able  to  have  man- 
ufactured to  his  satisfaction  in  Paris.  I  did  not  like  the 
idea  of  remaining  for  a  year,  or  two  years,  in  London  ;  I 


184 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


was  tired  of  living  in  a  great  city  ;  I  felt  a  violent  long- 
ing for  freedom,  movement,  above  all  for  the  privilege 
of  being  my  own  master.  Though  I  had  every  reason 
to  be  pleased  with  my  employers  up  to  this  time,  I  was 
so  ill-suited  to  a  dependent  position  that  it  really  made 
me  ill. 

"  Comus  introduced  me  to  a  great  many  eminent  men  ; 
such  as  MM.  de  Lacepede,  Buffbn,  Daubenton,  and  Ber- 
nard de  Jussieu.  I  took  a  lively  interest  in  the  rapid 
and  magnificent  progress  of  the  Jardin  des  Plantes,  and 
the  zoological  cabinet,  which  were  daily  being  directed 
and  enriched  by  these  noble  and  learned  men.  Splendid 
gifts  from  wealthy  persons  in  a  private  station  in  life, 
and  the  precious  contributions  of  travellers,  were  con- 
stantly being  sent  to  them.  An  irresistible  ambition 
seized  me  to  enroll  myself  in  the  number  of  these  pro- 
moters of  science  ;  these  humble  adepts,  satisfied  with 
benefiting  humanity,  without  demanding  either  glory  01 
profit.  I  saw,  indeed,  the  'tall  man  with  ruffles/  M.  de 
Buffon,  appropriating  extensively,  for  the  gratification  of 
his  vanity,  the  patient  and  modest  labors  of  his  associ- 
ates. But  suppose  it  is  true  that  he  had  this  weakness, 
that  he  wished  to  be  M.  le  Gomte,  and  to  exert  the  feudal 
rights  of  his  seigniory  ;  that  he  sounded  his  own  praises  on 
every  occasion,  and  claimed  the  credit  of  works,  which, 
very  frequently,  he  had  only  been  consulted  about ;  — 
what  mattered  it?  This  was  his  taste.  It  was  not  that 
of  his  generous  and  intellectual  companions.  They 
smiled,  let  him  say  what  he  pleased,  and  only  worked 
the  harder  ;  fully  persuaded  that  individual  interests  are 
of  no  real  importance  in  researches  directed  towards  the 
advancement  of  the  human  species.  Thus  they  were 
happier  than  he  ;  their  happiness  was  that  which  Comus 
understood,  and  to  which  I  aspired.  It  seemed  to  me 
that  they  had  chosen  the  better  part,  and  I  was  ambi- 
tious to  follow  in  their  steps.  I  offered  them  my  ser- 
vices, therefore,  after  profiting  to  the  best  of  my  ability 
by  their  public  lectures  and  private  conversations.  M. 
Daubenton  was  of  opinion  that  my  love  of  science  and 
aptitude  for  the  languages  were  qualities  that  would  iu- 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


l85 


sure  my  success,  and  that  I  ought  to  be  encouraged.  My 
poverty  was  the  only  obstacle. 

'"Science  is  growing  rich,'  he  said  proudly,  as  he 
looked  at  the  cabinet  and  garden,  which  were  so  rapidly 
increasing  ;  '  but  scientific  men  are  rather  too  poor  to  be 
great  travellers.  Indeed,  they  live  lives  of  privation  in 
every  respect.  You  must  be  prepared  for  that.' 

"I  was  prepared  for  everything.  I  had  succeeded  in 
saving  a  little  money,  which,  in  my  judgment,  would  go 
a  great  way,  considering  the  frugal  sort  of  life  from 
which  I  did  not  shrink.  I  secured  a  regular  appoint- 
ment to  a  scientific  mission,  so  as  to  avoid  being  taken 
for  a  vagrant  or  a  spy  in  foreign  countries,  and  set  out 
provided  Avith  a  year's  support,  and  leaving  the  rest  to 
Providence.  And  yet  with  the  testimonials  I  carried, 
proving  the  innocent  and  honorable  aim  of  my  wander- 
ing life,  I  should  have  been  able  to  obtain  more  or  less 
pecuniary  assistance  from  scientific  bodies,  and  even 
from  private  individuals  friendly  to  science.  But  I  was 
unwilling  to  make  any  such  demands,  for  I  knew  how 
greatly  the  Jussieu  family  had  impoverished  itself  in 
sacrifices  of  the  kind,  and  I  preferred  to  devote  myself 
exclusively  at  my  own  risk  and  peril. 

"Thus,  once  more,  began  for  me  a  series  of  happy 
days.  The  time  before  me  seemed  infinite  !  — -  it  would 
last,  at  least,  as  long  as  my  resources.  This  was  not 
saying  a  great  deal ;  and  to  prolong  my  journey,  and 
fully  satisfy  my  passion  for  travelling,  I  practised,  from 
the  outset,  the  strictest  economy.  At  my  very  first  stop- 
ping-place, I  put  on  a  stout,  coarse,  mountain  costume, 
bought  an  ass  to  carry  the  little  baggage  that  I  had,  my 
books,  instruments,  and  specimens,  and  proceeded  on 
foot  to  the  Swiss  mountains.  I  will  not  dwell  upon  my 
labors,  journeys  and  adventures.  Whenever  I  have 
leisure,  I. intend  to  write  an  account  of  my  travels  ;  and 
even  the  recent  loss  of  my  journal  will  not  be  an  insur- 
mountable obstacle,  thanks  to  my  uncommonly  good 
memory.  In  these  solitary  expeditions  I  recovered  my 
excellent  health,  my  careless  ease,  my  confidence  in  the 
future,  my  natural  gayety  ;  all  the  qualities  that  my  life 


X86  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

in  Paris  had  been  gradually  destroying.  I  felt  that  I 
was  in  harmony  with  the  memory  of  the  Goffredis —  that 
I  Avas  happy. 

"  My  knowledge  of  botany  and  mineralogy  Avas  suf- 
ficient to  enable  me  to  execute  what  I  had  prom- 
ised in  these  two  specialties ;  and  moreover,  as  I 
wasted  no  time  in  social  indulgences,  I  had  leisure  to 
gratify  my  inclinations  as  an  observer,  and  somewhat 
also  as  an  artist  and  poet  —  that  is,  a  person  who  feels 
the  divine  unity  of  the  beauty  of  nature.  At  each  im- 
portant stopping  place  I  forwarded  reports,  and  even 
specimens,  to  Paris,  and  I  wrote  long  letters  to  M.  Dau- 
benton,  well  knowing  that  the  romantic  impressions  of 
a  young  man  would  not  be  displeasing  to  him. 

"At  the  end  of  nine  or  ten  months,  I  had  reached  the 
Carpathians,  still  accompanied  by  my  ass,  whom  I  found 
of  the  greatest  service,  and  who  was  so  docile  and  well 
trained  to  follow  me  everywhere,  that  he  was  never  in 
my  way.  Just  at  this  time,  in  a  remote  and  lonely  place, 
I  met  a  beggar  with  a  long  beard,  who  was  no  other  than 
Guido  Massarelli.  Divided  between  disgust  and  pity, 
I  was  hesitating  whether  to  speak  to  him,  when  he 
recognized  me,  and  approached  with  an  aspect  so  humble 
and  dejected,  that  pity  carried  the  day.  I  was  happy  my- 
self at  that  time,  and  therefore  kindly  disposed.  Seated  on 
the  grass  in  a  grove  of  tall  trees,  I  was  eating  with  a  good 
appetite,  while  my  ass  was  grazing  a  few  steps  off.  To 
enable  him  to  rest  better,  I  had  taken  off  his  load,  and 
had  placed  the- pannier  containing  my  provisions  for  the 
day  between  my  knees.  There  was  not  much  in  it,  but 
enough  for  two.  Massarelli  looked  pale  and  feeble,  as  if 
dying  of  hunger. 

"  '  Sit  down,'  I  said,  'and  eat.  I  am  quite  certain  it 
is  through  your  own  fault  that  you  have  been  brought 
into  this  miserable  condition,  but  it  shall  never  be  said 
that  I  did  not  help  you  once  more.' 

"He  proceeded  to  tell  his  adventures,  whether  true  or 
false,  acknowledging  his  faults  in  words  of  a  base  hu- 
mility, and  yet,  in  fact,  always  excusing,  himself,  by 
attributing  them  to  the  ingratitude  or  harshness  of 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


I87 


others.  I  could  only  pity  him  for  being  what  he  was  ; 
and  after  half  an  hour's  conversation,  I  gave  him  a  few 
ducats  and  resumed  my  journey.  We  were  going  in 
opposite  directions,  to  my  great  satisfaction ;  but  I  had 
not  advanced  a  quarter  of  an  hour  Avhen  I  was  seized 
with  a  vertigo  that  obliged  me  to  stop,  overcome  with 
weariness  and  a  desire  to  sleep.  I  could  not  comprehend 
what  had  brought  on  this  sudden  indisposition,  for  I  had 
never  had  such  an  attack  in  my  whole  life  ;  and,  having 
shared  my  bottle  with  Guido,  I  had  scarcely  drunk  a 
glass  of  wine.  I  supposed  that  it  might  be  a  sort  of 
sun-stroke,  or  was  perhaps  the  effect  of  a  poor  night's 
sleep  at  the  inn  where  I  had  stopped.  At  any  rate,  I 
laid  down  in  the  shade  to  take  a  nap.  This  may  have 
been  imprudent  in  a  .place  so  extremely  solitary,  but  it 
was  absolutely  impossible  for  me  to  do  otherwise  ;  I  was 
overcome  by  a  heavy  and  irresistible  drowsiness,  like 
tnat  of  intoxication. 

"  When  I  awoke,  my  head  was  still  heavy  and  vacant, 
and  in  fact  I  was  feeling  extremely  ill ;  I  was  in  the  same 
place,  but  had  been  robbed  of  everything.  I  thought  at 
first  that  it  was  the  evening  twilight,  and  that  I  had  been 
asleep  six  hours  ;  but  when  I  saw  the  sun  rising  through 
the  fog,  and  the  dew  glittering  on  the  grass,  the  certainty 
was  forced  upon  me  that  I  had  slept  straight  through  a  day 
and  night.  My  ass  had  disappeared  as  well  as  my  baggage, 
.my  pockets  Avere  empty ;  nothing  had  been  left  but  the 
clothes  on  my  back.  While  looking  about,  I  observed 
one  valueless  object  which  the  thieves  had  overlooked,  or 
thought  not  worth  taking.  This  was  a  little  cocoa-nut  cup 
which  I  always  used  in  travelling,  to  avoid  the  vulgar  habit 
of  drinking  from  a  bottle.  It  was  this  squeamishness  that 
had  cost  me  so  dear ;  at  a  moment  when  my  back  was 
turned,  Guido  had  thrown  a  narcotic  into  my  cup.  Even 
now,  the  bottom  was  lined  with  some  kind  of  salt,  crys- 
tallized. Guido  was  evidently  no  beggar,  but  the  captain 
of  a  band  of  robbers.  The  footmarks  all  around  me 
showed  that  a  number  of  persons  had  been  on  the  spot. 

"  I  examined  the  immediate  vicinity  closely,  and  at 


X88  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

last  espied  something  written  with  chalk  upon  a  rock 
near  by.  It  was  in  Latin,  and  to  the  following  effect : 

"  '  My  friend,  I  could  have  killed  you,  and  it  was  my 
duty  to  do  so  ;  but  I  pardon  you.  Sleep  well.' 

"It  was  the  handwriting  of  Guido  Massarelli.  Why 
was  it  his  duty  to  have  killed  me?  In  return  for  the 
blows  I  had  given  him  with  my  cane  at  Paris  ?  That  is 
possible,  for  it  is  certainly  true  that  the  Italian  retains 
his  revengeful  disposition,  and  never  forgets  an  injury, 
even  when  his  mind  and  character  have  been  utterly 
corrupted.  But  what  could  I  do  to  revenge  myself  in 
my  turn?  There  was  nothing  that  would  not  require 
time,  money,  and  investigation,  and  I  was  without  a  sou, 
and  was  beginning  to  feel  hungry. 

"'Well,'  I  thought,  as  I  set  out  once  more  on  my 
journey,  '  it  was  written  that  one  day  or  other  I  should 
beg.  But  in  spite  of  bad  luck,  I  swear  that  I  will  not 
be  a  beggar  long.  I  must  find  some  new  business,  and 
get  on  my  feet  again.' 

"  I  made  my  way  out  of  the  mountains,  and  found  a 
hospitable  reception  with  a  family  of  kind  peasants,  who 
even  obliged  me  to  accept  some  provisions  for  the  road. 
They  told  me  that  a  band  of  robbers  infested  the  coun- 
try, and  that  their  chief  was  called  the  'The  Italian.' 

"Still  pushing  on,  I  reached  the  province  of  Silesia. 
It  was  my  intention  to  enter  a  complaint  in  the  first  town 
I  came  to,  and  put  the  authorities  on  the  track  of  the 
robbers.  As  I  walked  along,  thoughtful,  and  absorbed 
in  a  thousand  plans,  all  equally  impracticable,  for  once 
more  filling  my  purse  without  appealing  to  public  charity, 
I  heard  a  short,  uneven  gallop  behind  me,  and,  turning 
round,  was  astonished  to  recognize  my  ass,  my  poor 
Joan,  coming  after  me  as  well  as  he  could,  for  he  was 
wounded.  People  usually  despise  the  ass !  They  are 
welcome  to  do  so ;  but  this  animal,  in  my  opinion,  is 
almost  as  intelligent  as  the  dog.  I  had  already  had 
many  convincing  proofs  that  it  is  so,  while  travelling 
with  this  faithful  servant ;  and,  on  this  occasion,  he 
showed  that  he  was  capable  of  feeling  a  reasonable 
attachment,  and  was  endowed  with  a  mysterious  and 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


189 


truly  extraordinary  instinct.  Stolen  and  carried  off,  he 
had  undoubtedly  run  away,  as  soon  as  he  had  been  re- 
lieved of  his  load.  The  robbers  had  fired  on  him,  but 
he  had  kept  on,  disregarding  their  shots ;  he  had  found 
and  followed  my  track,  and  now  rejoined  me  with  a  bul- 
let in  his  thigh. 

"I  confess  that  we  had  a  scene  worthy  of  Sancho 
Panza  and  his  ass  ;  nay,  even  more  pathetic,  for  I  had  a 
wounded  friend  to  assist.  I  extracted  the  ball  which 
had  lodged  in  the  thigh  of  my  interesting  companion, 
and  washed  the  wound  with  the  most  touching  care. 
The  poor  beast  submitted  to  be  treated  and  bandaged 
with  the  stoicism  of  his  own  species,  and  with  an  intel- 
ligent confidence  that  is  apparently  not  confined  to  ours. 
Now  that  I  had  recovered  my  ass,  I  was  not  entirely 
without  resources.  When  the  ball  was  extracted,  he 
stopped  limping.  He  was  an  uncommonly  handsome 
animal,  large  and  strong,  and  would  be  worth — .  But  I 
did  not  go  so  far  as  to  embody  in  precise  figures  this  cow- 
ardly and  detestable  idea  !  To  my  honor,  I  would  state 
that  I  rejected  it  with  indignation.  There  could  be  no 
question  of  selling  my  friend ;  the  only  problem  was  to 
feed  two  stomachs  instead  of  one. 

"  I  advanced  towards  Troppau  as  I  best  could.  Jean 
ate  thistles  along  the  road,  and  I  deprived  myself  of  part 
of  my  allowance  of  bread,  so  as  to  supply  him  with  a 
delicacy  in  his  convalescence.  At  Troppau  the  common 
people  took  pity  on  me,  and  provided  me  with  food  and 
lodging,  with  that  charity  which  is  so  highly  valued  and 
so  meritorious  among  the  poor.  The  authorities  of  the 
town  gave  but  little  credit  to  my  story.  My  coarse  gar- 
ments were  those  of  a  pedestrian,  and  I  had  no  docu- 
ments whatever  to  prove  that  I  was  a  person  of  studious 
pursuits,  and  entitled  to  confidence.  I  talked  well,  it  is 
true  :  too  well  for  a  rustic  ;  but  these  frontier  countries 
are  overrun  by  innumerable  dexterous  adventurers.  Only 
a  little  while  before,  they  informed  me,  an  Italian,  claim- 
ing to  be  a  great  nobleman,  had  given  out  that  he  had 
been  robbed  in  the  mountains,  and  it  was  afterwards  dis- 


I90  THE  -SNOW  MAN. 

• 

covered  that  he  was  the  chief  of  the  very  band  he  had 
pretended  to  denounce. 

"I  thought  it  best  not  to  press  the  matter  ;  for,  from 
the  recollection  of  Guido  Massarelli,  to  the  suspicion 
that  I  was  associated  with  him,  there  was  but  a  step.  So 
I  returned  to  my  poor  entertainers.  They  received  me 
very  kindly,  blamed  the  conduct  of  their  magistrates, 
and  looking  covetously  at  Jean,  added  : 

'"Fortunately  your  ass  is  left,  and  you  can  sell  him.' 

"Seeing  that  I  was  not  inclined  to  take  their  hint, 
they  proceeded  to  make  me  a  proposition,  in  the  guise 
of  advice.  I  might  remain  with  them,  they  said,  for  two 
or  three  months,  if  I  could  be  contented  with  their  way 
of  living.  During  this  time  I  could  look  for  work,  if 
there  was  anything  I  was  able  to  do  ;  and  if  I  could  pay  my 
expenses  at  the  end  of  the  term  agreed  upon,  I  would  not 
be  obliged  to  leave  Jean  as  an  equivalent.  This  was 
good  advice,  and  I  accepted  it ;  resolving,  however,  that 
I  would  dig  in  the  earth,  if  necessary,  so  as  to  release 
my  pledge,  poor  Jean,  who  was  still  useful  to  his  master. 

"  My  landlord  was  a  shoemaker.  In  order  to  show 
that  I  Avas  not  idle,  I  asked  whether  I  could  help  him  in 
any  way,  though  I  did  not  know  his  trade. 

" '  I  see  that  you  are  a  good  fellow,'  he  said,  '  for  you 
have  an  honest  face.  There's  a  fair  to-morrow  in  a  vil- 
lage two  leagues  from  here,  to  which  I  shall  not  be  able 
to  go.  Load  your  ass  with  my  goods,  go  in  my  stead, 
and  sell  all  the  shoes  you  can.  You  shall  have  ten  per 
cent,  of  the  profits.' 

"  The  next  morning  I  was  at  my  post  selling  shoes,  as 
if  I  had  never  done  nothing  else  in  my  whole  life.  I 
knew  nothing  at  all  about  the  tricks  peculiar  to  this  sort 
of  business,  whether  conducted  on  a  small  or  grand  scale, 
but  it  occurred  to  me  to  pay  all  the  women  compliments 
on  their  little  feet ;  and  the  people  were  so  amused  by  my 
extravagant  nonsense,  that  my  entire  load  was  disposed 
of  in  a  few  hours.  In  the  evening  I  returned  gayly  home 
to  my  employer,  who  was  surprised  at  my  success,  and 
obstinately  refused  to  let  me  deduct  the  price  of  my  board 
from  myv^hare  of  the  profits. 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


191 


"Once'morc,  therefore,  I  was  provided  with  a  trade, 
and  a  supply  of  pocket-money  sufficient  for  the  necessities 
of  my  new  position.  Hans,  my  employer,  now  sent 
me  on  a  three  days'  tour  through  the  neighborhood,  and 
I  succeeded  in  selling  off  some  old  stock  that  had  been 
on  his  hands  a  long  time.  On  my  return,  he  paid  me 
more  than  he  had  agreed,  but  when  I  said  something 
about  leaving  him,  he  flew  into  a  tremendous  passion, 
and  then  shed  tears  ;  he  treated  me,  in  short,  like  an  un- 
gi*atcful  son,  and  ended  by  offering  to  give  me  his  daugh- 
ter in  marriage,  if  I  would  remain.  The  girl  was 
pretty,  and  threw  me  artless  and  tender  glances.  I  be- 
haved like  a  fool,  or  so  my  former  gay  companions 
would  have  said.  It  is  certain  that  I  did  not  even  at- 
tempt to  kiss  her,  and  that  I  made  my  escape  in  the 
night,  taking  with  me  Jean  and  two  rix  dollars,  and 
leaving  an  equal  sum  behind  m«  to  pay  my  board  at  the 
house  of  the  good  shoemaker  of  Troppan. 

"  It  was  quite  indifferent  to  me  where  I  went,  provided 
only  that  I  could  obtain  sufficient  means  to  continue  my 
journey  without  being  obliged  to  confide  to  the  persons 
in  the  various  towns  of  Germany  and  Poland  to  whom  I 
had  brought  letters  of  introduction,  a  story  of  disaster, 
of  which  I  could  furnish  no  proof,  except  my  destitution. 
The  suspicions  of  the  burgomasters  of  Troppau  had  cured 
me  of  the  idea  of  relating  my  misfortunes.  My  testimo- 
nials were  lost,  and  I  had  nothing  but  probable  assertions 
with  which  to  replace  them.  Kow,  no  story  ever  seems 
probable  when  you  are  asking  assistance.  However,  this 
did  not  make  me  at  all  unhappy.  I  was  already  accus- 
tomed to  my  situation,  and  had  one  more  occasion  in  my 
life  to  observe  that  to-morrow  always  comes  for  those  who 
have  patience  with  to-day. 

"  Two  days  later,  I  entered  a  poor  tavern,  and  sat 
down  at  a  table.  Opposite  me  was  a  short,  strong-built 
young  fellow,  who  was  seated  with  his  elbows  leaning  on 
the  table,  and  who  seemed  to  be  asleep.  They  brought 
me  a  pot  of  beer  and  some  bread  and  cheese,  for  which  I 
paid  a  half-zwanziger.  On  this  allowance  I  had  money 
enough  to  last  eight  days.  When  the  landlady  spoke  to 


I92  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

the  young  man  at  the  other  side  of  the  table  he  made  no 
reply,  and  a  little  after,  as  he  raised  his  head,  I  saw  that 
he  had  been  crying. 

"  '  You  are  hungry,'  I  said  to  him,  '  and  have  no  money 
to  pay  for  your  supper.' 

"  'Fact ! '  he  answered,  laconically. 

"  '  Very  well,'  I  replied,  '  where  there's  enough  for 
one,  there's  enough  for  two.  Help  yourself.' 

"  Without  answering  a  word,  he  drew  a  knife  from  his 
pocket  and  cut  into  my  bread  and  cheese.  When  he  had 
eaten  in  silence,  he  thanked  me  briefly,  and  with  an  ap- 
pearance of  sincerity,  and  I  had  the  curiosity  to  ask  him 
the  cause  of  his  distress.  He  told  me  his  name  —  I  for- 
get what  it  was  —  but  the  name  he  was  travelling  under 
was  Puffo.  He  was  from  Leghorn  —  a  rather  poor  rec- 
ommendation, at  least  in  Italy,  for  persons  of  a  certain 
class.  In  the  opinion  of  the  sailors  all  along  the  Medi- 
terranean coast,  to  call  a  man  a  Livornese  is  almost 
equivalent  to  calling  him  a  pirate.  My  friend  probably 
would  have  justified  the  prejudice  ;  he  had  been  a  sailor, 
and  a  little  of  a  freebooter.  At  present  he  was  a  stroll- 
ing mountebank. 

"  I  listened  to  him  without  much  interest,  for  he  did 
not  narrate  well,  and  it  is  only  the  way  in  which  they  are 
told  that  gives  any  value  to  the  stories  of  such  adventur- 
ers ;  in  substance  they  are  all  pretty  much  the  same.  How- 
ever, when  this  man  began  to  speak  about  his  unprofitable 
theatre,  I  pricked  up  my  ears  and  asked  him  what  sort  of 
representations  he  gave. 

"  '  Mon  Dieu ! '  he  cried,  '  that's  the  kind,  and  it's  the 
worst  business  I  ever  had  anything  to  do  with.  The 
devil  take  the  man  who  put  it  info  my  head  ! ' 

"  As  he  spoke,  he  pulled  a  marionette  from  his  bag, 
and  threw  it  angrily  on  the  table. 

"  An  exclamation  of  surprise  escaped  me.  This  mar- 
ionette, frightfully  dirty  and  worn  out,  was  my  own 
handiwork.  It  was  a  burattino  of  my  own  make  !  Yes, 
indeed,  it  was  my  leading  character,  the  chief  of  my  com- 
pany, my  own  witty  and  charming  Stentarello,  the  orna- 
ment of  all  my  performances  in  the  towns  of  the  Apennines, 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


'93 


the  darling  of  the  pretty  Genoese  women,  the  child  of  my 
scissors  and  my  fancy,  the  very  pillar  of  my  theatre. 

"  '  What ! '  I  cried,  '  you  wretched  fellow  !  You  own 
Stentarello,  and  can't  make  money  with  him?  ' 

"  '  They  told  me,'  he  replied, '  that  he  had  made  a  great 
deal  of  money  in  Italy.  The  man  who  sold  him  to  me  in 
Paris  said  that  he  had  bought  him  of  a  well-dressed  Ital- 
ian gentleman,  who  declared  that  he  had  made  his  fortune 
with  him.  Perhaps  it  was  you  ?' 

"  He  went  on  to  say  that  he  had  been  quite  successful  in 
France  Jn  the  public  streets  with  our  theatre  and  actors  ; 
and  that  as  he  knew  several  languages,  he  had  tried  trav- 
elling abroad,  but  that  fortune  had  deserted  him ;  he  had 
gone  on  from  bad  to  worse,  up  to  the  very  moment  when  I 
met  him.  He  had  now  resolved  to  sell  '  the  shop,'  as  he 
called  it,  and  to  try  and  train  a  bear,  which  he  intended 
to  catch  in  the  mountains. 

" '  Come,'  said  I,  '  show  me  your  theatre,  and  let  me 
see  what  you  can  do.' 

"  He  accordingly  took  me  to  a  barn,  where  I  helped 
him  set  up  his  establishment ;  and  I  recognized  the  best 
members  of  my  troupe  among  wretched  ordinary  marion- 
ettes, covered  with  rags  and  injuries.  Puffo  proceeded 
to  play  me  a  scene  as  a  specimen  of  his  powers.  He  ma- 
noeuvred the  burattini  dexterously  enough,  and  was  not 
without  a  certain  coarse  wit,  but  it  really  pained  me  to 
the  heart  to  see  my  actors  fallen  into  such  hands,  and 
reduced  to  playing  such  parts.  But  when  I  thought 
about  it,  I  saw  that  Providence  must  have  brought  us  to- 
gether —  myself  and  my  actors  —  for  our  mutual  good. 
I  proceeded  at  once  to  give  a  representation  in  the  vil- 
lage, and  received  in 'all  a  ducat  for  it,  to  the  utter  stupe- 
faction of  Puffo,  who  from  that  moment  entirely  abandoned 
to  my  guidance  theatre,  actors,  and  even  the  responsibil- 
ity of  his  own  destiny. 

"  I  now  felt  that  I  was  really  under  the  protection  of 
heaven,  for  I  had  found  once  more  the  means  of  pros- 
ecuting my  travels  with  comfort,  without  incurring  any 
indebtedness,  and  without  exposing  my  name  and  my 
features  to  the  caprice  of  the  public.  In  a  very  few  days 


I94  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

all  the  marionettes  were  dismounted,  cleaned,  fresh 
painted,  new  clothed,  and  properly  packed  in  a  conven- 
ient and  portable  chest ;  the  theatre  was  refitted  in  like 
manner,  and  enlarged  to  admit  two  operators.  Puffo  I 
engaged  as  an  assistant,  his  duty  being  to  keep  the  estab- 
lishment in  good  order,  to  take  charge  of  it,  and,  at  the 
same  time,  to  carry  part  of  it  on  his  stout  shoulders,  as 
he  was  already  in  the  habit  of  doing ;  for  I  was  more 
than  ever  determined  to  devote  Jean  to  the  service  of 
science,  and  to  employ  him  in  carrying  the  materials  and 
specimens  which  I  was  collecting. 

"  Puffo  is  certainly  a  poor  assistant.  He  is  slow- 
witted,  and  yet  he  never  breaks  down;  for  he  has  the 
gift  of  talking  without  saying  anything.  He  has  a  bad 
accent  in  every  language  ;  but,  at  any  rate,  he  can  make 
himself  understood  in  several,  which  is  a  great  point, 
and  his  chief  recommendation.  In  the  dialogue  he  takes 
but  little  part,  but  I  have  succeeded  in  curing  him  of  his 
coarse  habit  of  swearing.  I  put  into  his  hands  the  pop- 
ular, low  comedy  scenes,  which  serve  as  interludes,  to 
give  me  a  few  minutes'  rest.  When  three  or  four  actors 
are  on  the  stage,  I  make  use  of  his  hands,  and  carry  on 
all  the  parts  of  the  conversation  myself,  with  sufficient 
skill  to  persuade  the  audience  that  they  are  listening  to 
several  different  voices.  But  you  have  seen  my  perform- 
ances, M.  Goefle,  and  know  that  I  succeed  in  amusing. 
However,  we  did  nothing  very  remarkable  in  Germany, 
and  it  occurred  to  me  that  perhaps  we  should  do  better  in 
Poland,  for  the  Poles  have  the  wit  of  the  French  and  the 
taste  of  Italians.  We  accordingly  traversed  Poland,  and 
at  Dantzig,  after  a  successful  tour  of  six  weeks,  embarked 
for  Stockholm,  where  we  have  done  extremely  well.  It 
was  while  there  that  I  received  the  invitation  of  the  Baron 
de  Waldemora.  I  accepted  it  with  pleasure,  knowing 
that  it  would  enable  me  to  see  a  country  which  I  have 
found  more  interesting  than  any  that  I  have  hitherto  vis- 
ited. I  have  always  loved  the  north,  whether  from  the 
strong  contrasts  which  it  offers  to  southern  countries,  or 
from  a  patriotic  instinct  that  has  influenced  me  ever  since 
my  childhood.  And  yet  nothing  is  less  certain  than  the 


THE   SNOW  MAN.  195 

northern  origin  which  was  attributed  to  my  childish  lan- 
guage—  altered-,  imperfectly  spoken,  or  half-forgotten  as  it 
was  —  by  the  learned  philologist  to  whom  I  have  referred. 
No  matter ;  whether  dream  or  presentiment,  I  have  al- 
ways beheld  in  imagination  the  romantic  country  which  is 
now  before  my  eyes  ;  and  it  was  by  way  of  affording  my- 
self a  pleasure-trip  that  I  lengthened  my  present  journey. 
I  came  across  Lake  Malar,  and  thence  down  to  Lake 
Wetter,  so  as  to  explore  the  whole  region  of  the  great 
lakes.  . 

"  It  was,  however,  written  that  I  was  to  be  pursued  by 
mishaps.  Puffo,  who  has  grown  fat  since  I  have  sup- 
ported him,  and  who  is  beginning  to  be  afraid  of  fatigue, 
wanted  to  hire  a  sleigh  to  cross  that  mysterious  Lake 
Wetter,  whose  depths  are  apparently  troubled  by  volcanic 
disturbances.  The  ice  broke  in,  and  I  lost  my  clothes  and 
my  money.  Fortunately,  Puffo  was  at  that  moment  walk- 
ing, and  helped  out  the  driver,  but  the  horse  and  sleigh 
were  lost.  Fortunately  also,  I  had  followed  the  shore, 
with  Jean,  the  theatre,  my  actors,  and  my  scientific  ma- 
terials. So,  thank  heaven,  all  is  not  lost,  and  to-morrow 
I  shall  be  in  funds  again,  for  I  am  to  give  a  representation, 
for  a  sum  agreed  upon,  at  the  chateau  of  the  Snow  Man." 

"  Well,"  said  M.  Goefle,  as  he  once  more  took  the  hand 
of  Christian  Waldo,  "your  story  has  interested  and 
amused  me.  I  don't  know  whether  you  told  it  with  any 
particular  pleasure  to  yourself,  but  your  quick  way  of 
talking  while  you  walked  about  the  room,  your  Italian 
gesticulation,  and  your  face,  which  is  certainly  expressive 
and  prepossessing,  whatever  country  it  may  belong  to, 
have  made  your  recital  very  attractive.  You  have  a  fine 
mind  and  an  excellent  heart,  and  the  faults  of  which  you 
accuse  yourself  seem  to  me  very  trifling,  compared  with 
the  evil  courses  into  which  you  might  easily  have  fallen, 
thrown,  as  you  were,  so  early  into  the  world,  without  ad- 
visers or  resources,  and  with  a  handsome  face,  too  —  which 
is  a  real  instrument  of  perdition  for  either  sex,  in  a  place 
so  corrupt  as  Paris  or  Naples." 

"But  do  you  believe,  Monsieur  Goefle,  that  society  is 
more  moral  or  pure  here  at  the  north?  I  should  be 


196 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


pleased  to  think  that  such  is  the  case,  but  what  I  have 
seen  at  Stockholm  —  " 

"Ah,  my  dear  boy!  if  you  judge  of  us  by  the  in- 
trigues, vanity,  violence,  and  infamous  venality  of  our 
nobility,  whether  of  the  cap  or  hat  faction,  you  will  be- 
lieve us  the  very  last  of  all  the  nations  in  the  universe. 
This  would  be  wrong,  however,  for  as  a  people  we  are 
really  good.  It  only  needs  a  revolution,  or  a  considerable 
war,  to  bring  to  the  surface  our  great  qualities  —  the  par- 
ticles of  pure  gold  sunk  to  the  bottom.  Just  now  you  see 
only  the  froth  on  the  surface.  But  to  return  to  yourself: 
you  have  not  explained  to  me  about  your  residence  in 
Stockholm.  How  is  it,  in  a  place  so  full  of  intrigue  and 
distrust,  that  you  could  wear  a  mask,  and  yet  escape  an- 
noyance from  the  three  or  four  different  police  organiza- 
tions that  are  at  work  for  the  different  parties  ?  " 

"  Because  I  do  not  wear  a  mask,  as  you  can  see  very 
well  for  yourself,  Monsier  Goefle  ;  it  would  be  very  troub- 
lesome to  do  that,  and  as  soon  as  I  am  a  hundred  steps 
away  from  my  booth,  it  is  easy  enough,  with  a  little  adroit- 
ness, and  a  few  very  simple  precautions  against  the  obser- 
vation of  the  inquisitive,  to  remove  it,  and  go  with  my 
face  uncovered.  I  am  not  important  enough  to  make 
anybody  very  determined  to  see  me,  and  the  slight  mys- 
tery that  I  keep  up  does  a  good  deal  towards  maintaining 
my  popularity.  And,  after  all,  I  have  not  so  far  retained 
my  prejudices  as  a  society  man,  that  I  should  be  much 
distressed  to  have  my  mask  fall  off  some  day  in  the  street, 
arid  to  be  recognized  by  a  chance  passenger  as  a  very  ob- 
scure adept  of  science,  who  occupies  himself  about  his 
studies  at  other  hours,  and  in  other  portions  of  the  city." 

"Ah  !  that  is  just  what  you  have  not  told  me.  When 
you  are  at  Stockholm  you  have,  on  occasion,  another  name 
than  Christian  Waldo,  and  another  lodging  besides  that 
where  Jean  and  Puffo  live,  and  the  rest  of  your  troupe  in 
their  boxes?  " 

"  Exactly,  Monsieur  Goefle.  As  to  the  name  —  do  you 
really  want  to  know  it?" 

"  Certainly  I  do.     You  do  not  distrust  me?" 

"  Oh,  if  you  are  afraid  of  that,  I  comply  at  once,  with 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


197 


pleasure.  The  name  is  only  Dulac  —  the  French  for  my 
original  fanciful  name  of  del  Lago.  I  assumed  it  at  Paris, 
as  a  precaution  against  any  accident  which  might  draw 
upon  me  the  notice  and  vengeance  of  the  Neapolitan  am- 
bassador." 

"  Very  good.  And  under  that  name  yon  have  suc- 
ceeded in  establishing  good  connections  in  Stockholm  ?  " 

"  I  have  hardly  tried  to  do  so,  as  I  did  not  feel  any 
need  of  haste.  I  wanted,  in  the  first  place,  to  become 
acquainted  with  the  scientific  and  artistic  riches  of  the 
city,  and  then  to  study  the  physiognomy  of  the  inhabitants 
as  well  as  their  tastes  and  customs.  A  stranger,  without 
friends,  finds  it  extremely  easy  to  study  the  manners  and 
prevailing  sentiments  of  a  people  by  haunting  their  places 
of  public  resort.  This  is  the  method  I  adopted,  and  my 
present  purpose  is  to  become  familiar  with  the  whole  of 
Sweden,  and  then  to  put  myself  in  communication  with 
the  leading  men  of  science  at  Stockholm  and  Upsal,  es- 
pecially M.  Linnaeus.  By  that  time  I  must  receive  the  tes- 
timonials for  which  I  have  written  to  Paris,  and,  at  any 
rate,  shall  perhaps  have  something  of  interest  to  submit 
to  that  illustrious  man.  I  may  find  specimens  in  distant 
localities  that  he  has  overlooked,  and  be  able  to  afford 
him  pleasure  by  offering  them  to  him.  There  is  no  jour- 
ney in  which  useful  discoveries,  or  useful  observations 
upon  matters  already  recorded,  may  not  be  made.  When 
a  young  man  visits  a  great  master,  he  is  bound  to  bring 
tribute  from  his  studies  or  his  explorations ;  otherwise 
he  only  occupies  valuable  time  in  the  mere  gratification 
of  his  own  vanity  or  curiosity.  You  said  something  about 
the  police  :  they  let  me  entirely  alone  after  one  brisk  ex- 
amination, in  which  my  answers  were  frank,  and  seemed 
quite  satisfactory.  The  good  people  with  whom  I  lodged, 
and  who  treated  me  as  kindly  as  if  I  were  one  of  their 
own  family,  readily  guaranteed  my  good  conduct,  and 
kept  from  the  public  the  little  secret  of  my  double  indi- 
viduality. So  you  see,  Monsieur  Goefle,  that  at  present 
I  am  excellently  situated,  and  may  well  feel  in  very 
good  spirits,  having  command  of  my  own  movements,  a 


I98  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

sufficiently  profitable  occupation,  the  love  of  science,  and 
all  the  world  open  before  me  !  " 

"  But  you  lost  your  money  in  Lake  Wetter — " 

"Oh,  but  the  lakes,  Monsieur  Goefle,  are  certainly 
inhabited  by  good  spirits,  with  whom  I  am  in  relations, 
without  knowing  it.  Am  I  not  Christian  del  Lago  ? 
Either  the  troll  of  Lake  Wetter  will  return  me  my  purse 
when  I  am  least  expecting'it,  or  he  will  see  that  it  comes 
into  the  hands  of  some  poor  fisherman,  who  will  have 
the  good  of  it,  so  that  it  will  be  a  capital  arrangement 
any  way." 

"But  still,  —  have  you  any  money  in  your  pocket,  my 
boy?" 

"Absolutely  nothing,  Monsieur  Goefle,"  replied  the 
young  man,  laughing.  "I  had  exactly  enough  to  get 
here,  by  pinching  my  own  stomach  a  little,  so  as  to  allow 
my  attendant  and  my  ass  all  they  wanted  ;  but  I  am  to 
receive  thirty  rix  dollars  this  evening  for  my  perform- 
ance ;  and  after  enjoying  this  capital  breakfast  in  com- 
pany with  yourself  and  this  excellent  stove,  and  in  sight 
of  the  splendid  landscape  all  set  with  diamonds,  that  I 
see  shining  out  yonder,  through  the  smoke  with  which  our 
pipes  have  filled  the  room,  I  feel  myself  the  richest  and 
most  fortunate  of  men." 

"You  are  decidedly  an  original,"  said  M.  Goefle, 
rising,  and  knocking  the  ashes  from  his  pipe.  "You  are 
a  singular  mixture  of  the  man  and  the  child,  the  scientist 
and  the  adventurer.  It  even  seems  to  me  that  you  are 
extravagantly  enjoying  this  last  phase  of  your  experi- 
ence ;  and  that  instead  of  finding  it  disagreeable,  you 
are  making  your  assumed  and  rather  exaggerated  pride 
an  excuse  for  protracting  it." 

"Permit  me,  Monsieur  Goefle,"  answered  Christian; 
"in  the  matter  of  pride  there  is  no  middle  course;  it 
must  be  everything  or  nothing.  I  have  tried  poverty, 
and  I  know  how  easy  it  is,  in  poverty,  to  become  de- 
graded. One  who  is  left  to  depend  entirely  upon  his 
own  resources,  must  therefore  accustom  himself  not  to 
fear  poverty ;  he  must  even  know  how  to  make  it  a 
source  of  amusement.  I  have  told  you  how  it  distressed 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


199 


me  to  be  poor  in  a  great  city.  There,  among  temptations 
of  every  kind,  such  a  position  is  very  dangerous  to  a 
man  who  is  young  and  vigorous,  and  who  has  known 
what  it  is  to  be  carried  away  by  passion.  Here,  on  the 
contrary,  on  my  travels,  that  is  to  say,  at  liberty,  and 
protected  by  an  incognito  which  will  allow  me  to-morrow 
to  assume  a  respectable  position  in  society,  I  feel  as  gay 
as  a  school-boy  in  vacation  ;  and  I  confess  that  I  am  in 
no  haste  to  assume  again  the  chains  of  constraint  and 
the  annoyances  of  conventionality." 

"After  all,  I  understand  it,"  said  the  doctor.  "My 
imagination  is  not  duller  than  other  people's ;  -and  I  can 
easily  conceive  that  there  is  a  romantic  pleasure  in  such 
a  wandering,  careless  life.  Yet  you  are  fond  of  society. 
It  was  not  for  the  sake  of  investigating  the  frozen  moun- 
tains at  midnight  that  you  borrowed  my  dress  suit." 

At  this  moment  the  door  opened,  and  Ulphilas,  to 
whom  M.  Goefle  had  no  doubt  given  orders,  came  to  say 
that  the  horse  and  sleigh  were  ready.  Ulph  seemed 
quite  sober. 

"What !"  cried  the  doctor  with  surprise,  "what  time 
is  it  ?  Noon  ?  It  is  impossible !  That  old  clock  has 
gone  crazy !  But  no,"  he  continued^  looking  at  his 
watch,  "it  is  noon,  really;  and  I  must  go  and  consult 
with  the  baron  over  the  great  lawsuit,  on  account  of 
which  I  have  come  here.  It  surprises  me,  by  the  way, 
since  he  knows  I  am  here,  that  he  should  not  have 
thought  fit  to  send  before  now  and  inquire  after  me  !  " 

"But  his  lordship,  the  baron,  did  send,"  said  Ulph; 
"  did  I  not  tell  you,  M.  Goefle?" 

"  Not  at  all." 

"He  sent  an  hour  ago,  to  say  that  he  was  ill  last 
night,  or  that  he  would  have  come  himself — " 

"Here?  You  exaggerate  the  baron's  politeness,  my 
dear  Ulph.  The  barou  never  comes  to  Stollborg  ! " 

"Very  seldom.  Monsieur  Goefle  ;  but  — " 

"Well,  well!  And  father  Stenson — is  there  no  way 
of  seeing  him?  I  must  make  the  good  old  gentleman  a 
little  visit  before  I  go  over  to  the  chateau.  Is  he  as  deaf 
as  ever?" 


200  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

"  A  great  deal  more  so,  Monsieur  Goefle  ;  he  will  not 
hear  a  single  word  you  say." 

"Well,  then,  I  Will  talk  by  signs." 

"But,  Monsieur  Goefle,  the  fact  is  my  uncle  don't 
know  you  are  here." 

"Ah,  he  doesn't?     Well,  he  will  find  it  out." 

"He  will  scold  me  terribly  for  not  having  told  him, 
and  for  having  allowed  you  —  " 

"To  do  what?  To  lodge  in  this  room,  I  suppose? 
Very  well ;  tell  him  that  I  took  possession  without  ask- 
ing your  permission." 

"  Only  imagine,"  added  M.  Goefle,  in  French,  to  Chris- 
tian, "  that  we  are  here  unlawfully,  and  without  the 
knowledge  of  M.  Stenson,  the  overseer  of  the  old  cha- 
teau. And  another  very  strange  thing  is,  that  the  said 
Monsieur  Sten,  as  well  as  his  estimable  nephew  here 
present,  are  so  convinced  that  the  old  ruin  is  haunted  by 
unhappy  and  malevolent  spirits,  that  they  are  very  reluc- 
tant to  live  here  at  all." 

As  he  said  this,  M.  Goefle's  smiling  face  became  seri- 
ous all  at  once,  as  if,  though  in  the  habit  of  laughing  at 
such  things,  he  really  was  reproaching  himself  for  doing 
so ;  and  he  abruptly  asked  Christian  if  he  believed  in 
apparitions. 

"Yes — in  hallucinations,"  replied  Christian,  without 
hesitation. 

"Ah  !     Have  you  ever  seen  any,  then?" 

"Sometimes  —  in  a  fever,  or  under  some  powerful 
mental  preoccupation.  In  the  latter  case  they  were  not 
so  distinct  as  in  the  fever,  and  I  could  see  that  it  was  an 
illusion ;  but  the  appearances  made  a  sufficient  impres- 
sion upon  me  to  trouble  me  a  good  deal." 

"Just  so — exactly  so!"  cried  M.  Goefle.  "Well, 
only  imagine  —  but  I'll  tell  you  this  evening  ;  there's  no 
time  now.  I  must  go,  my  friend  ;  I  shall  go  and  see  the 
baron.  He  will  perhaps  detain  me  to  dinner  —  at  two 
o'clock.  But  in  any  event  I  will  return  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible. Ah,  by  the  way — will  you  do  me  a  service 
during  my  absence  ?  " 


THE   SNO  W  MAN.  2Ql 

"Two  —  three,  if  you  wish,  Monsieur  Goefle ;  what 
is  it?" 

"To  take  my  valet-de-chambre  up  out  of  his  bed." 

"To  wake  him,  you  mean?" 

"No,  no!  To  take  him  up,  to  put  on  his  clothes, 
button  his  gaiters,  put  him  into  his  breeches ;  they  are 
very  tight,  and  he  is  not  strong  enough  — " 

"Oh,  I  understand  ;  some  old  servant — an  old  friend, 
ill,  or  infirm  ?  " 

"No,  not  exactly.  Stay,  here  he  is!  What  a  mir- 
acle !  He  has  dressed  himself  all  alone !  Very  well 
done,  Master  Nils  !  Why,  you  are  improving !  Up  at 
noon,  and  dressed  yourself!  Haven't  you  fatigued  your- 
self too  much  ?  " 

"No,  Monsieur  Goefle,"  said  the  child,  with  a  trium- 
phant air.  "See,  I  have  buttoned  my  gaiters  nicely." 

"A  little  crooked;  but  it's  done,  at  any  rate;  and 
now  I  suppose  you  Avill  go  and  rest  yourself  until 
night?" 

"Oh  no,  Monsieur  Goefle  :  I  want  something  to  eat ; 
I  am  very  hungry ;  it  has  kept  me  from  sleeping  well 
for  an  hour  at  least." 

"There,"  said  M.  Goefle  to  Christian,  "you  see  what 
manner  of  serving-man  my  housekeeper  provided  me 
with  !  At  present,  I  shall  leave  him  under  your  charge. 
Make  him  obey  you,  if  you  can ;  for  my  part,  I  have 
quite  given  up  trying.  Come,  Ulph,  go  on ;  I'll  come 
after  you.  Well,  what's  the  matter?  what  is  it?" 

"  They  brought  a  letter  for  you  a  little  while  ago,"  an- 
swered Ulphilas,  whose  ideas  became  more  luminous  in 
proportion  as  the  sun  ascended  towards  the  zenith,  "  and 
I  put  it  in  my  pocket,  and  had  forgotten  —  " 

"  To  give  it  tome?  Too  true  !  You  see,  Christian, 
how  well  you  are  waited  upon  at  Stollborg." 

M.  Goefle  opened  the  letter,  and  read  as  follows,  inter- 
rupting himself  at  every  sentence  to  make  comments  in 
French : 

"  '  My  dear  advocate  — ' 

"  I  know  that  handwriting  !  It's  the  Countess  Elveda ! 
A  great  coquette.  The  Russian  party  in  petticoats  ! 


202  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

"  '  Let  me  see  you  before  any  one  else.  I  know  the 
baron  expects  you  at  noon.  Have  the  goodness  to  leave 
Stollborg  a  little  early,  and  come  to  my  room.  I  want  to 
talk  to  you  about  some  matters  of  importance  — ' 

"  Matters  of  importance  !  Some  silly  piece  of  wick- 
edness, as  black  as  charcoal,  and  consequently  as  plain  to 
be  seen  as  charcoal  on  snow !  Faith,  it's  too  late  !  the 
time  is  past." 

"  Certainly,  the  time  is  past,"  observed  Christian,  "  and 
what  she  wants  to  tell  you  is  not  worth  the  trouble  of 
hearing." 

"  Ah  !  ah  !     Then  you  know  what  it  is? " 

"  Perfectly  ;  I'll  tell  you  about  it  at  once,  and  I'm  not 
afraid  that  you  will  lend  your  influence  to  helping  on  a 
scheme  as  horrible  as  it  is  ridiculous.  The  countess  wants 
to  marry  her  pretty  niece,  Margaret,  to  the  dead-and-alive 
old  Baron  Olaus." 

"  Yes,  I  know  that  very  well,  and  I  have  openly  laughed 
at  the  idea.  Marry  such  a  beautiful  May  to  such  a  pale 
December  !  One  would  have  to  be  as  much  of  a  white- 
cap  as  the  peak  of  Sylfiallet  to  think  of  such  a  thing  !  " 

"Ah,  I  was  sure  you  would  feel  so.  Is  it  not  abom- 
inable, Monsieur  Goefle,  to  propose  to  sacrifice  Margaret 
in  such  a  way? — " 

"Hallo!  Margaret?  Why,  you  and  Margaret  must 
be  on  very  intimate  terms  ?  — " 

"Very  far  from  it.  I  have  only  seen  her.  She  is 
charming." 

"  She  is  so  considered.  But  the  countess — how  the 
devil  did  you  come  to  know  her,  and  how  did  you  learn 
about  her  private  plans  ?  " 

"  That  is  another  story ;  I  will  tell  you  about  it  if  you 
have  time — " 

"  What?  No,  I  have  not ;  but  here's  a  postscript  that 
I  did  not  notice.  I  don't  understand  it  at  all : 

"'I  must  compliment  you  upon  your  nephew's  fine 
figure  and  his  wit.' 

"  My  nephew  !  I  have  no  nephew  !  Is  the  countess 
crazy  ? 

" '  Nevertheless,  his  good  manners  failed  him  for  once, 


THE   SNOW  MAN.  203 

and  very  reprehensibly.  He  really  deserves  to  receive  a 
severe  reprimand  from  you  for  having  been  guilty  of  such 
rudeness !  But  I  will  talk  it  over  with  you,  and  try  to 
make  up  for  his  foolishness  —  I  almost  wanted  to  say  in- 
solence.' 

"  Rudeness  !  Insolence  !  Monsieur  my  nephew  seems 
to  have  been  well  occupied  !  But  where  the  devil  am  I 
going  to  find  the  young  gentleman,  to  give  him  his  severe 
reprimand  ?  " 

'"  Oh,  dear  Monsieur  Goefle  !  "  said  Christian,  in  a  pit- 
eous tone,  "  you  Avill  not  have  to  look  very  far.  How  is 
it  you  have  not  reflected  that  if  I  could  obtain  admission 
to  the  ball-room  without  my  mask,  last  night,  it  cannot 
have  been  by  the  name  of  Christian  Waldo  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  deny  that !  Then  it  was  under  the  name  of 
Goefle?" 

"  My  invitation  was  in  my  pocket  under  that  honorable 
name." 

"  So,  sir,"  said  M.  Goefle,  with  severity,  while  his  eyes 
sparkled  with  anger,  "  you  don't  content  yourself  with 
carrying  oflf  other  people's  toilet,  from  hair-powder  down  to 
shoe-soles  inclusive,  but  you  must  also  go  so  far  as  to 
take  their  names,  and  leave  them  to  be  responsible  for  the 
follies  you  may  choose  to  commit.  That  is  altogether  be- 
yond endurance ! " 

Here  good-natured  M.  Goefle,  in  spite  of  himself,  burst 
out  laughing,  at  the  absurd  predicament  of  Christian 
Waldo.  The  handsome  and  passionate  young  man,  who 
found  it  difficult  to  bear  so  direct  a  reproof,  seemed  tempted 
to  make  rather  a  sharp  reply,  and  then  his  anger  was  in- 
creased by  the  conduct  of  the  servants.  On  one  side 
Ulph,  perceiving  from  M.  Goefle's  tone  that  he  was  angry, 
although  he  did  not  understand  a  word  that  he  said,  was 
unconsciously  imitating  his  looks  and  gestures,  while  little 
Nils,  quite  as  ignorant  of  the  facts  in  question,  placed  him- 
self opposite  Christian,  in  a  haughty  and  almost  threat- 
ening attitude. 

Provoked  by  these  two  absurd  figures  imitating  and 
burlesquing  M.  Goefle,  Christian  was  strongly  tempted 
to  knock  down  the  man  and  kick  the  boy,  but  he  knew 


204 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


perfectly  well  that  he  was  iu  the  wrong,  and  he  was, 
moreover,  much  pained  at  having  offended  so  kind  and 
amiable  a  person  as  the  doctor  of  laws.  Indignation  and 
repentance,  therefore,  were  depicted  alternately  upon  his 
expressive  countenance,  and  Avith  such  vividness  that  the 
lawyer  was  quite  disarmed.  His  laugh  at  once  disarmed 
his  two  satellites,  who  began  to  laugh  also  with  returning 
confidence,  and  went  about  their  business,  while  Christian 
gave  M.  Goefle  a  brief  account  of  his  defiance  of  the 
baron,  which  the  Countess  Elveda  called  rude  and  inso- 
lent, but  for  which,  in  his  opinion,  he  was  not  at  all  to 
blame.  M.  Goefle,  pressed  as  he  was  for  time,  listened 
attentively,  and  when  he  had  finished,  said : 

"  Assuredly,  my  dear  boy,  you  have  done  nothing  to 
dishonor  the  name  of  Goefle  ;  on  the  contrary,  your  con- 
duct was  that  of  a  gentleman,  but  you  have  none  the  less 
placed  me  in  a  cruel  embarrassment.  Whether  or  not 
Baron  Olaus  remembers  his  epileptic  attack  —  for  which, 
it  seems,  he  is  indebted  to  you — he  will  not  forget,  you 
may  rest  assured,  that  you  have  offended  him.  As  you 
have  been  told,  he  is  a  man  who  never  forgets  anything, 
and  you  will  do  well  to  disappear  at  once  in  your  character 
of  Goefle,  since  Goefle  you  have  chosen  to  become.  Do 
not  quit  this  chamber  without  being  masked ;  become 
Christian  Waldo  again,  and  you  have  nothing  to  fear." 

"But  pray  tell  me  what  should  I  have  to  fear  from  the 
baron,  even  if  I  should  present  myself  to  him  with  my 
face  uncovered  ?  Is  he  actually  capable  of  having  me  as- 
sassinated?" 

"I  know  nothing  about  that,  Christian  ;  I  swear  to  you, 
upon  my  honor,  nothing  at  all ;  you  may  confidently  be- 
lieve me  on  this  point.  If,  in  my  business  relations  with 
him,  I  had  gathered  the  least  proof  of  the  acts  he  is 
charged  with,  those  relations  would  be  discontinued.  I 
am  very  indifferent  to  lucrative  patronage,  and  I  should 
tell  my  client  some  very  plain  truths,  whether  it  did  him 
any  good  or  not.  Nevertheless,  there  are  some  reports 
so  well  authenticated,  and  there  are  so  many  cases  where 
misfortunes  have  occurred  to  persons  who  have  opposed 
the  baron,  that  I  have  sometimes  asked  myself  if  he  had 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


205 


not  the  evil  eye  —  the  jettatura,  as  you  call  it  in  Italy. 
At  any  rate,  not  to  bring  any  unnecessary  bad  luck  upon 
myself,  please  allow  me  to  report  that  my  nephew  is  ab- 
sent ;  that  he  started  this  very  morning  on  a  distant 
journey." 

"You  may  rely  upon  my  absolute  prudence,  since  I 
have  been  the  means  of  exposing  you  to  a  risk.  I  will 
not  leave  the  room  without  being  masked,  or  so  disguised 
that  no  one  shall  recognize  me  for  the  rather  too  gallant 
and  chivalrous  stranger  who  danced  at  the  ball  last  night." 

M.  Goefle  and  Christian  Waldo  shook  hands  upon  this 
agreement.  Nils,  whose  services  had  been  confined  to 
eating  his  breakfast  during  the  conversation,  was  now 
well  wrapped  up  in  furs  by  his  master,  who  was  obliged 
to  lift  him  upon  the  driver's  seat  of  the  sleigh,  and  to 
place  the  reins  and  whip  in  his  hands.  Once  seated,  how- 
ever, he  drove  off  like  an  arrow,  and  descended  the  steep 
slope  of  the  rock  with  skill  and  confidence.  To  drive  a 
horse  was  the  one  thing  that  he  knew  how  to  do,  and  did 
without  murmuring. 

As  for  Ulph,  he  proceeded  to  make  up  the  bed  in  which 
Nils  had  slept,  for  Christian,  and  to  prepare  the  sofa, 
which  Avas  quite  large  enough  to  be  comfortable,  for  the 
child,  as  M.  Goefle  had  directed  before  his  departure. 
Then  he  went  to  wait  upon  his  uncle,  but  always  discreet 
in  concealing  his  disobedience,  he  did  not  say  a  single 
word  about  the  presence  of  visitors  in  the  donjon. 


VII. 

/T"VHE  reader  has  perhaps  not  forgotten  that  old  Steuson 
•*•  lived  in  a  pavilion  at  the  end  of  the  small  second 
court,  which,  together  with  the  outer  enclosure,  which 
was  somewhat  larger,  and  the  buildings  adjoining,  com- 
posed the  dilapidated  manor  of  Stollborg.  There  was  a 
legend  connected  with  the  original  erection  of  this  ancient 
castle.  At  the  time  of  the  first  introduction  of  Christian- 
ity into  Sweden,  it  was  said  to  have  grown  out  of  the 


206  THE   SNO  \V  MAN. 

rock  in  one  night,  in  consequence  of  a  vow  of  the  pagan 
castellan,  whose  house  (then  built  of  wood)  had  nearly 
been  blown  off  into  the  lake  by  an  autumnal  gale,  and 
who  had  thereupon  promised  to  embrace  the  new  religion, 
if  heaven  would  protect  him  securely  from  the  wind.  The 
roof  of  the  house  had  already  been  carried  away,  but 
scarcely  had  he  pronounced  his  vow,  when  a  granite  tower 
arose,  as  if  by  enchantment,  from  the  rock.  The  castellan 
was  forthwith  baptized,  and  no  hurricane  could  ever  again 
harm  his  strongly  and  solidly-built  habitation. 

Notwithstanding  this  veracious  history,  the'  antiquaries 
of  the  country  have  the  hardihood  to  assert  that  the  square 
tower  of  Stollborg  dates  no  further  back  than  to  the  reign 
of  King  Birger,  that  is  to  the  fourteenth  century.  However 
that  may  be,  the  chateau  and  its  small  domain,  in  the  fif- 
teenth century,  became  the  property  of  a  brave  gentleman 
of  the  name  of  Waldemora.  In  the  seventeenth  century, 
Olaf  dc  Waldemora  became  a  favorite  of  Queen  Christina, 
who,  by  arbitrarily  alienating  portions  of  the  crown  do- 
mains, conferred  upon  him  considerable  landed  estates  in 
this  part  of  Dalecarlia.  History  does  not  name  this  Wal- 
demora as  a  lover  of  the  fantastic  inheritrix  of  Gustavus 
Adolphus.  Possibly,  in  some  strait  for  money,  the  queen 
may  have  sold  him  these  valuable  estates  at  a  low  price. 
It  is  certain  that  at  the  reduction  of  1680,  when  the  ener- 
getic Charles  XI.  revised  the  titles  of  all  grants  of  land, 
and  reunited  to  the  crown  domain  all  that  had  been  un- 
lawfully alienated  by  his  predecessors  —  a  terrible  but 
salutary  measure,  to  which  Sweden  owes  the  endowment 
of  her  universities,  schools,  and  magistracy,  the  crea- 
tion of  the  post-office,  the  army  indelta,  and  other  ben- 
efactions, for  which  the  "  old  caps  "  had  hardly  forgiven 
the  crown  at  the  time  of  our  story  —  at  this  time  the 
titles  of  the  Baron  de  Waldemora  were  found  valid  ;  he 
retained  the  great  estates  which  he  had  inherited  from 
his  grandfather,  and  completed  the  embellishments  of 
the  new  chateau,  built  by  the  latter  upon  the  shore  of  the 
lake,  and  called  by  his  name. 

One  tower  was  all  that  remained  standing  of  the  old 
family  chateau.     This  tower  appeared  to  be  extremely 


THE   SNOW  MAN.  207 

lofty,  in  consequence  of  the  great  substructure  of  masonry 
built  up  to  its  base  from  the  very  edge  of  the  water, 
but  it  Avas  in  fact  but  two  stories  high,  and  contained  only 
the  bear-room  and  the  guard-room,  which  were  on  the 
ground  floor,  almost  on  a  level  with  the  court,  and  two 
or  three  chambers  above,  where  for  twenty  years,  that  is, 
ever  since  the  door  on  the  staircase  had  been  built  up,  no 
person  had  entered.  The  rest  of  the  manor  had  been 
rebuilt  several  times,  and  formed,  what  is  called  in  Nor- 
way, a  gaard  ;  or,  in  other  words,  an  assembly  of  several 
families  living  in  a  community.  Dwelling-rooms,  kitch- 
ens, dining-rooms,  stables,  and  store-rooms,  in  such  com- 
munities, instead  of  being  brought  together  as  much  as 
possible  under  one  roof,  as  is  the  common  practice,  form 
separate  buildings,  each  Avith  a  roof  of  its  OAvn  ;  so  that 
altogether  they  present  the  aspect  of  a  numerous  group 
of  small  houses  entirely  distinct  from  each  other.  Many 
customs  prevail  equally  in  Sweden  and  Nonvay,  espe- 
cially along  the  mountainous  frontier  of  Dalecarlia.  At 
the  period  Avhen  Stollborg,  deserted  for  the  new  chateau, 
became  a  mere  farmstead,  there  Avere  several  gaards, 
similar  to  the  one  Ave  have  described,  scattered  through 
the  country.  As  is  commonly  the  case  all  over  Sweden, 
and  in  all  countries  Avhere  they  build  in  wood,  these  prem- 
ises had  often  caught  fire,  and  the  more  ancient  of  the 
little  edifices  still  shoAved  traces  of  it.  Their  charred 
ridge-poles  and  warped  roofs  were  sharply  defined,  like 
black  spectres,  upon  the  Avhite  background  of  the  mountain. 
The  court,  surrounded  by  its  mossy  shed,  Avhich  gave 
a  unity —  such  as  it  was  —  to  all  these  different  buildings, 
and  from  Avhose  eaves  hung  a  glittering  fringe  of  icy  sta- 
lactites, thus  presented  the  appearance  of  a  group  of 
abandoned  S\viss  chalets.  The  farm  establishment  had 
long  ago  been  transferred  elseAvhere,  and  the  whole  manor 
had  been  left  under  the  charge  of  Stenson,  Avho  no  longer 
had  any  repairs  made  upon  the  worthless  houses,  Avhich 
were  noAv  only  used  to  store  fodder  and  dry  vegetables. 
The  rough  flags  of  the  court  were  furro\ved  in  all  direc- 
tions by  a  thousand  irregular  little  hollo AVS,  ploughed  by 
the  violence  of  currents  in  thaws  ;  not  one  of  the  doors  was 


208  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

on  its  hinges,  and  it  seemed  as  if,  unless  prevented  by 
some  vow  as  efficacious  as  that  of  the  first  castellan,  the 
least  gust  of  the  winds  of  spring  or  fall  would  sweep  the 
ruinous  structures  off  into  the  lake. 

The  second  court,  which  was  in  the  rear  of  this  one, 
was  a  modern  addition,  much  less  picturesque,  but  in- 
finitely more  comfortable.  It  had  been  built  by  the 
Baron  Olaus  de  Waldemora  at  the  time  when  he  inher- 
ited the  property  of  his  brother  Adelstau.  He  caused 
this  second  small  gaard  to  be  erected  for  his  faithful  Sten- 
son,  so  as  to  prevent  the  latter,  who  had  a  horror  of  the 
place,  from  going  to  live  elsewhere.  This  additiou  con- 
sisted of  another  group  of  buildings,  lower  than  the  first, 
and  upon  the  opposite  slope  of  the  rock.  Their  steep 
roofs  rested  at  the  back  against  the'solid  rock  itself,  and 
were  constructed  in  the  singular  manner  usual  in  that 
country,  with  a  layer  of  pine  logs  well  caulked  with 
moss,  covered  with  strips  of  birch  bark,  over  which  is 
laid  finally  a  bed  of  earth  turfed  on  the  top.  This  turf, 
on  the  roofs  of  rustic  cottages  in  Sweden,  is  very  care- 
fully tended,  as  is  well  known,  and  is  sometimes  laid  out 
like  a  garden  with  flowers  and  shrubs.  The  grass  upon 
them  is  very  thick  and  rich,  and  the  cattle  find  it  their 
choicest  pasturage. 

It  was  in  this  portion  of  the  old  manor,  called  espe- 
cially the  gaard,  while  the  other  was  called  the  court, 
that  Stenson  had  lived  for  twenty  years.  Of  late,  he  had 
become  so  old  and  feeble  that  he  hardly  ever  left  his  own 
house,  which  was  well  warmed,  very  neatly  furnished, 
and  painted  on  the  outside  of  an  iron-rust  red.  Here  he 
was  certainly  very  conveniently  situated.  His  dwelling- 
rooms  were  separate  from  his  nephew's  lodging,  and  he 
had  a  kitchen  in  one  small  edifice,  and  a  dairy  in  another. 
This  only  served,  however,  to  render  the  existence  of  the 
mysterious  old  man  more  monotonous  and  melancholy. 
It  was  observed,  or  at  least  it  had  been  observed  when 
the  house  was  built,  how  careful  he  had  been  to  have  all 
the  doors  and  windows  looking  away  from  the  tower. 
The  only  communication  between  the  two  buildings  was 
a  small  side-door,  and  to  reach  Stenson's  pavilion  it  was 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


209 


necessary  to  go  through  a  narrow  zigzag  passage.  It 
looked  as  if  he  had  been  afraid  to  have  a  door  opening 
directly  towards  the  tower,  lest  he  should  see  it.  But  he 
may  have  barricaded  himself  in  this  way  merely  as  a 
precaution  against  the  west  wind,  which  blew  from  that 
direction. 

As  if  in  confirmation  of  the  reports  current  about  him, 
it  was  extremely  rare  for  Stenson  to  quit  his  house,  unless 
to  enjoy  a  little  sunshine  in  the  small  orchard  at  the 
water's  edge.  Even  here  he  always  turned  his  back  to 
the  tower  as  he  walked,  and  when  the  declining  sun  threw 
the  slender  shadow  of  the  weathercock  upon  his  alleys,  it 
was  said  that  he  would  leave  them  and  flee  precipitately 
into  his  house,  as  if  Jie  were  filled  with  horror  and  pain 
by  this  ill-omened  shade.  The  freethinkers  of  the  new 
chateau  —  a  major-domo  and  footmen  of  the  modern  sort 
—  attributed  his  peculiarities  to  the  excessive  caution 
and  timidity,  carried  almost  to  monomania,  of  a  frail  and 
sickly  old  man  ;  but  Ulphilas  and  his  companions  regarded 
them  as  the  irrefragable  proof  that  the  gloomy  old  castle 
was  haunted  by  evil  spirits  and  frightful  spectres.  Never, 
for  twenty  years,  they  said,  had  Stenson  crossed  the  court 
and  entered  the  western  gate.  Whenever  business  called 
him  to  the  new  chateau,  he  went  by  way  of  the  little  or- 
chard, at  whose  base  his  own  boat  used  to  lie  in  the 
summer. 

The  presence  of  the  baron  at  the  new  chateau  —  his 
usual  residence  when  he  was  not  attending  to  his  duties 
as  a  member  of  the  Stendoerne,  or  Diet — made  no 
changes  in  Stenson's  daily  life ;  but  still  Ulphilas  had 
for  some  days  observed  that  his  uncle  was  singularly 
agitated.  He  asked  questions  concerning  the  donjon,  as 
if  he  was  solicitous  about  the  preservation  of  this 
accursed  old  giant.  He  inquired  of  Ulph  whether  he 
went  there  from  time  to  time  to  ventilate  the  bear-room, 
at  what  hours  his  visits  were  made,  and  whether  he  had 
seen  anything  remarkable  there.  To-day,  Ulph,  not 
without  remorse,  but  without  hesitation,  told  him  a  lie  ; 
he  shook  his  head  and  shrugged  his  shoulders  as  a  sign 
that  he  had  seen  nothing  new.  In  fact,  Ulph  had  strong 

H 


2 10  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

reasons  for  hoping  that  Stenson,  who  was  confined  to  his 
room  by  the  cold,  would  not  learn  anything  about  what 
had  happened  ;  and  he  had  heard  the  rattling  of  certain 
crowns  intended  for  him,  in  the  pocket  of  M.  Goefle, 
without  seeing  any  signs  that  the  old  vaults  of  Stollborg 
proposed  to  crumble  Avith  indignation  for  so  small  a  mat- 
ter. Without  being  greedy,  Ulph  did  not  dislike  making  a 
little  money,  and  perhaps  he  was  beginning  to  feel  some- 
what reconciled  to  the  donjon. 

After  telling  this  direct  falsehood,  and  serving  his 
uncle's  second  meal,  he  was  going  away,  when  the  old 
man  asked  for  a  certain  Bible  which  he  seldom  used, 
and  which  stood  on  a  particular  shelf  of  his  library. 
Stenson  directed  him  to  place  it  before  him  on  the  table, 
and  then  motioned  him  to  retire.  Ulph,  however,  was 
curious  to  see  what  his  uncle  was  about,  and  as  he  was 
very  certain  that  he  would  not  be  heard,  he  came  in 
again  in  a  moment,  and  standing  behind  the  old  man's 
chair,  peeped  over  and  saw  him  pass  the  knife  at  random 
between  the  leaves  of  the  large  book,  and  then  open  it, 
and  look  attentively  at  the  verse  where  the  point  of  the 
knife  had  stopped.  Three  times  he  tried  this  experiment ; 
a  practice  half  devout  and  half  cabalistic,  that  prevails 
even  among  the  Catholics  of  the  north,  for  inquiring  of 
the  Almighty  the  secrets  of  the  future,  according  to  the 
interpretation  of  the  words  supposed  to  be  indicated  by 
destiny.  When  he  had  performed  this  ceremony,  Sten- 
son buried  his  face  in  his  hands  upon  the  closed  book,  as 
if  to  consult  it  with  his  brain,  after  having  questioned  it 
with  his  eyes  ;  and  Ulph  went  away,  a  good  deal  dis- 
quieted with  the  result  of  the  experiment.  He  had  read 
the  three  verses  over  his  uncle's  head.  They  were 
these,  in  the  order  in  which  they  had  chanced  to  occur : 

"Destruction  Tind  death  say,  We  have  heard  the  fame 
thereof  with  our  ears." 

"Did  I  not  weep  for  him  that  was  in  trouble?  Was 
not  my  soul  grieved  for  the  poor  ?  " 

"A  good  man  leaveth  an  inheritance  to  his  chil- 
dren's children ;  and  the  wealth  of  the  sinner  is  laid  up 
for  the  just." 


THE  SNOW  MAN.  211 

Detached  verses  from  this  mysterious  and  sublime 
book  will  generally  adapt  themselves  to  almost  any 
meaning  which  the  imagination  is  desirous  of  obtain- 
ing. Accordingly,  old  Sten,  who  had  trembled  at  the 
first  verse,  and  clasped  his  hands  over  the  second, 
drew  a  long  breath  at  the  third,  as  if  his  oppressed  soul 
was  relieved.  But  Ulphilas,  who  had  drank  too  much 
the  night  before  to  be  a  competent  interpreter  of  the 
utterances  of  the  sacred  volume,  asked  himself  with  an- 
guish whether  the  old  Bible  had  not,  under  the  form  of 
some  allegory  too  deep  for  his  intelligence,  disclosed  to 
his  uncle  the  secret  of  his  falsehood. 

He  was  aroused  from  his  revery  by  the  appearance 
of  a  new  visitor  in  the  court.  This  was  Puffo,  who  had 
come  to  arrange  for  the  evening's  performance  with 
Christian.  Puffo  was  not  a  demonstrative  person ;  he 
did  not  like  tUe  country  in  winter,  and  he  did  not  speak 
a  word  of  Dalecarlian.  But  still  he  was  in  a  very  good 
humor  just  at  the  present  moment,  and  for  sufficient 
reasons.  He  bade  Ulph  good-day,  in  quite  a  friendly' 
manner,  while  the  latter  was  greatly  surprised  to  see 
him  enter  the  bear-room  unceremoniously,  as  if  he  was 
quite  at  home  there. 

Puffo  found  Christian  occupied  in  classifying  the  min- 
eralogical  specimens  in  his  box. 

"Well,  master,  what  are  you  thinking  of?"  said  he. 
"It's  no  time  now  to  be  playing  with  those  little  pebbles  ; 
we  must  get  ready  for  the  piece  this  evening." 

"  Parbleu  !  I  know  that  very  well,"  replied  Christian; 
"but  what  could  I  do  without  you?  It  is  high  time  for 
you  to  show  yourself.  Where  the  devil  have  you  been 
since  yesterday?" 

Puffo  informed  him — but  without  making  any  ex- 
cuses for  his  absence  —  that  he  had  finally  found  a  good 
supper  and  good  bed  at  the  farm,  that  he  had  slept 
late,  and  having  made  acquaintance  with  a  servant  from 
the  chateau,  who  was  there,  had  told  whom  it  might 
concern  of  the  arrival  of  Christian  Waldo  at  Stollborg. 
After  breakfast  the  major-domo  of  the  new  chateau  had 
sent  for  him,  had  talked  to  him  very  pleasantly,  and 


2i2  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

informed  him  that  the  exhibition  of  marionettes  would 
be  expected  at  eight  precisely  that  evening.  The  major- 
domo  had  added : 

"  You  will  mention  to  your  employer  Christian,  that 
his  lordship  wishes  a  very  brilliant  entertainment,  and 
he  begs  him  to  be  infinitely  witty." 

"Excellent!"  said  Christian.  "Plenty  of  wit,  by 
order  of  his  lordship  the  baron.  Let  him  take  care, 
lest  I  prove  altogether  too  witty  for  him !  But,  Puffo, 
did  you  hear  nothing  about  the  baron's  illness  ?  " 

"  Yes,  he  was  ill  last  night,  it  appears,"  replied  the 
stroller,  "but  he  has  recovered.  Perhaps  he  was  only 
drunk,  though  the  servants  say  he  does  not  drink  at  all. 
But  who's  going  to  believe  that  a  man  as  rich  as  he  is 
would  cheat  his  stomach  out  of  good  liquor  when  he  has 
it  in  his  cellar?" 

"I  wager  that  you  did  not  cheat  yourself,  Puffo,  out 
of  whatever  came  under  your  hand." 

"Faith,"  said  Puffo,  "thanks  to  a  servant  who  is 
in  love  with  a  little  girl  at  the  farm,  and  who  invited 
me  to  eat  at  his  table,  I  had  some  very  decent  brandy. 
It  was  corn  .brandy,  rather  rough,  but  it's  warming, 
and  I  slept  capitally  after  it." 

"  I  am  delighted  at  your  windfall,  Master  Puffo  ;  but 
we  must  go  to  work.  Come,  go  at  once  and  see  that 
Jean  has  plenty  to  eat  and  drink,  and  then  come  back 
and  receive  your  instructions.  Hurry  ! " 

Puffo  went  out,"  and  Christian,  not  without  a  sigh, 
closed  his  box  of  minerals,  and  was  opening  that  which 
contained  the  "buraitini,  when  the  noise  of  sleigh-bells 
drew  him  to  the  window.  It  was  not  the  doctor  of  laws 
returning  so  soon ;  it  was  the  pretty  blue  and  silver 
sleigh  which  had  brought  Margaret  to  Stollborg  the 
evening  before.  * 

Must  we  confess  it?  Christian  had  forgotten  the 
promise  which  that  agreeable  young  lady  had  made  to 
the  apocryphal  M.  Goefle  of  repeating  her  visit  next 
day.  The  truth  is,  that  he  had  no  longer  considered  this 
visit  possible,  on  account  of  what  had  happened  at  the 
ball,  and  had  consequently  said  nothing  about  it  to  M. 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


2I3 


Goefle.  Perhaps  lie  regarded  the  whole  adventure  as 
iuevitably  ended,  and  perhaps  he  even  wished  to  have  it 
so;  for  to  what  could  it  lead^  unless  he  should  attempt 
to  abuse  the  inexperience  of  a  child,  and  so  secure  her 
contempt  and  her  curse  ? 

In  the  meanwhile,  the  sleigh  was  approaching ;  it 
was  now  ascending  the  hill  of  Stollborg,  and  Christian 
could  see  the  pretty  head  of  the  young  countess,  half 
hidden  in  her  ermine  hood.  What  was  to  be  done  ? 
AVould  he  be  courageous  enough  to  shut  the  door  in  her 
face,  or  to  send  her  word  by  Pulfo  that  the  doctor  was 
absent  ?  Pshaw  !  Ulph  would  tell  her  so  of  his  own 
accord !  He  had  only  to  keep  quiet,  and  the  sleigh 
would  return  as  it  had  come.  Christian  remained  at  the 
window,  so  as  to  watch  it  descend  the  hill,  but  it  did 
not  descend..  The  door  opened,  Margaret  entered,  and 
the  young  man  had  barely  time  to  close  hastily  the 
open  box  where  the  marionettes  were  indiscreetly  exhib- 
iting their  great  noses  and  smiling  mouths. 

"What,  monsieur!"  cried  the  young  girl,  with  an  ex- 
clamation of  surprise,  "are  you  still  here?  I  did  not 
expect  that.  I  hoped  that  you  would  be  gone." 

"Did  you  meet  no  one  in  the  court?"  said  Christian, 
who  was,  perhaps,  not  sorry  to  throw  the  blame  of  this 
circumstance  upon  destiny. 

"I  saw  no  one,"  said  Margaret ;  "  and,  as  my  visit  is 
secret,  I  came  in  very  quickly,  so  that  no  one  should  see 
me.  But,  once  more,  Monsieur  Goefle,  you  ought  not  to  be 
here.  The  baron  must  know,  by  this  time,  who  it  was 
who  ventured  to  defy  him.  I  give  you  my  word  that  you 
ought  to  go  away." 

"  Go  away !  You  say  that  very  cruelly.  But  you  re- 
mind me  that  I  really  have  gone  aw^y  already.  Yes, 
yes,  be  satisfied  ;  I  have  gone  never  to  return.  M.  Goefle 
has  intimated  to  me  that  he  might  be  involved  in  my  diffi- 
culties, and  I  have  promised  him  to  disappear.  You  find 
me  in  the  very  act  of  packing  up." 

"  Oh  !     Go  on,  then  ;  do  not  let  me  detain  you." 

"  Are  you  in  such  great  haste  never  to  hear  me  spoken 
of  again?  Very  well,  imagine  that  your  wish  is  accora- 


214 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


plished ;  that  I  have  already  embarked  for  America  at 
least,  and  am  fleeing  under  full  sail  from  my  terrible  enemy, 
while  shedding  a  few  tears  at  the  memory  of  that  first 
quadrille  —  the  last,  too,  that  I  shall  ever  dance — " 

"  With  me,  not  with  others?  " 

"Who  knows?  The  I  who  is  speaking  to  you  is  a 
shade,  a  phantom,  a  mere  reminiscence  of  what  happened 
yesterday.  The  other  I,  about  taking  his  departure,  is 
the  sport  of  the  waves  and  of  destiny.  I  care  about  him 
as  much  as  I  do  for  an  inhabitant  of  the  moon." 

"  Good  heavens  !  how  gay  you  are,  Monsieur  Goefle  ! 
Do  you  know  I  am  not  so  at  all?" 

"  True,"  said  Christian,  struck  with  Margaret's  sad 
expression  ;  "  I  am  ashamed  to  have  spoken  of  myself, 
when  I  ought  to  have  been  expressing  my  anxiety  about 
the  consequences  of  the  events  of  last  evening.  Will  you 
be  good  enough  to  answer  me,  if  I  venture  even  now  to 
make  inquiries  of  you  ?  " 

"  Oh,  you  are  well  entitled  to  do  so,  since  chance  has 
so  fully  informed  you  about  my  affairs  already.  My 
aunt  reproved  me  severely  last  evening,  and  Mad- 
emoiselle Potin  had  orders  to  pack  my  trunks  and  take  me 
back  to  Dalby  to-day ;  but  this  morning  everything  is 
changed,  and,  after  a  private  interview  with  the  baron, 
who,  she  says,  has  quite  recovered  his  health  and  good 
spirits,  it  was  decided  that  I  should  remain,  and  should 
have  nothing  to  do  to-day,  but  to  think  about  my  toilet 
for  this  evening.  By  the  way,  have  you  heard  that  Chris- 
tian Waldo  is  actually  here  ?  They  say,  indeed,  that  he 
is  stopping  at  Stollborg.  You  must  have  met  him,  in 
that  case.  How  is  it  —  have  you  seen  him  ?  " 

"  Certainly." 

"  Without  his  mask  ?  Oh,  how  does  he  look  ?  Has  he 
really  a  death's  head?" 

"  Worse  than  that.     He  has  a  wooden  head  !  " 

"  Oh  no  !     You  are  joking." 

"Not  in  the  least !  To  see  him  you  would  swear  that 
his  face  had  been  whittled  out  of  a  block,  with  a  dull 
knife.  He  looks  like  the  ugliest  of  all  his  marionettes. 
Like  this  one,  for  instance  ! " 


THE  SNOW  MAN.  215 

And  Christian  pointed  to  the  grotesque  physiognomy 
of  a  police  officer  that  stuck  out  of  the  box,  and  which 
Margaret  would  probably  have  seen  herself  if  she  had  not 
been  so  preoccupied. 

"What,  really!"  said  she,  a  little  apprehensively. 
"And  is  that  his  conjuriug-box?  Does  he  occupy  this 
room  with  you  ?  " 

"  No  ;  don't  be  afraid,  you  will  not  see  him.  He  has 
gone  out,  and  he  asked  as  a  favor,  of  M.  Goefle,  to  be  al- 
lowed to  leave  his  baggage  here." 

"  Poor  fellow  !  "  said  Margaret,  pensively  ;  "  and  so  he 
is  as  ugly  as  that !  What  stories  people  tell !  Some  per- 
sons who  have  seen  him  insist  that  he  is  handsome.  And 
is  he  old?  " 

"  Somewhere  about  forty-five.  But  what  are  you  think- 
ing about,  and  why  are  you  so  sad?  " 

"  I  don't  know  —  only  I  feel  sad." 

"  What  —  although  you  are  to  remain  at  the  chateau, 
and  see  the  marionettes  this  evening  ?  " 

"Ah  !  please,  Monsieur  Goefle,  do  not  treat  me  quite 
so  much  like  a  child.  Last  night,  at  the  ball,  it  is  true 
that  I  was  gay  ;  I  enjoyed  myself  and  felt  happy,  because 
I  thought  I  had  once  for  all  escaped  from  the  baron.  But 
to-day  I  see  very  well  that  my  aunt  has  renewed  her 
hopes,  and  I  must  meet  again  a  man  whom  I  shall  al- 
ways sincerely  hate  from  this  time  forward.  Did  he  not 
insult  me  in  a  cowardly  manner  yesterday?  It  is  useless 
for  my  aunt  to  say  that  he  was  joking.  One  does  not 
joke  with  a  girl  of  my  age  as  with  a  child.  I  have  been 
trying  to  cure  my  wounded  pride  by  persuading  myself 
that  he  was  delirious  —  that  his  nervous  attack  had  al- 
ready begun  when  he  spoke  so  coarsely  to  me,  and  that 
is  what  my  friends  think  also.  But  how  do  I  know  what 
will  happen  to-day,  when  I  meet  him?  Whether  .he  is  ill- 
tempered  or  crazy,  who  will  defend  me  if  he  insults  me 
again?  You  will  not  be  there,  and  nobody  else  will 
dare  —  " 

"  What !  Nobody  dare?  But  what  sort  of  men  have 
you  around  you  then  ?  And  all  those  brave  young  fellows 
whom  I  saw  last  evening  —  " 


2i6  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

"  Yes,  I  believe  they  are  brave.  But  they  kuow  noth- 
ing of  me,  and  they  may  imagine  I  deserve  such  outrageous 
treatment  from  the  baron.  It  is  a  poor  recommendation 
for  me  to  have  been  introduced  into  society  by  my  aunt, 
since  she  has  the  reputation  —  although"  most  surely  it 
is  undeserved  —  of  sacrificing  everything  to  political  in- 
terests." 

"  Poor  Margaret !  "  exclaimed  Christian,  struck  by  the 
painful  position  of  this  lovely  girl. 

He  was  so  evidently  sincere,  and  without  the  least 
thought  of  offensive  familiarity,  that  Margaret  did  not  re- 
sent his  taking  her  hand  ;  and  besides,  he  dropped  it  again 
immediately,  as  he  thought  of  their  relative  positions. 

"Well,"  he  said,  "you  must  take  some  resolution  or 
other,  at  any  rate." 

"It  is  taken  already.  It  is  only  the  first  step  that 
costs.  From  this  time  I  will  affront  the  terrible  Olaus 
whenever  we  meet ;  I  will  tell  him  what  I  think  of  him 
before  all  the  world  ;  I  prefer  to  pass  for  a  perfect  demon 
of  malice,  rather  than  for  the  favorite  of  this  Dalecarliau 
pasha.  And,  after  all,  I  shall  defend  myself  better  alone  ; 
for,  if  you  were  present,  I  should  be  afraid  of  having  you 
take  my  part  at  your  own  peril,  and  that  would  make  me 
more  acquiescent.  But  I  will  not  forget  any  more  for 
that,  the  good  counsel  you  gave  me,  and  the  chivalrous 
way  in  which  you  repulsed  that  frightful  baron.  I  do  not 
know  whether  we  shall  ever  see  each  other  again,  but 
wherever  you  are,  you  will  always  have  my  good  wishes, 
and  I  will  pray  to  God  to  make  you  happier  than  I  am." 

Christian  was  extremely  touched  by  the  sincere  and 
affectionate  manner  of  this  charming  girl.  He  made  no 
display  of  affected  gallantry,  but  his  expressions,  and  the 
very  sound  of  his  voice,  revealed  the  deepest  emotLon. 

"  Kind  Margaret !  "  he  said,  lifting  her  pretty  hand 
to  his  lips.  "  I  swear  to  you  truly  that  I  also  will  remember 
.you.  Ah  !  why  am  I  not  rich  and  noble  ?  Perhaps  then 
I  should  have  power  to  help  you,  and  most  certainly  I 
would  do  everything  in  the  world  to  obtain  the  happiness 
of  being  able  to  do  so.  But  I  am  nothing,  so  I  can  do 
nothing." 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


217 


"  But  I  thank  you  just  as  much,"  replied  Margaret. 
"  You  seem  to  me  like  a  brother  that  I  have  never  known, 
whom  God  has  sent  to  me  for  a  moment  in  the  hour  of  my 
distress.  Let  this  short  meeting  be  so  considered,  and  we 
will  say  good-by,  without  despairing  of  the  future." 

Margaret's  candor  caused  Christian  to  feel  a  sense 
of  remorse.  M.  Goefle  might  return  at  any  moment, 
and  it  would  be  impossible  for  the  young  countess,  after 
having  been  so  much  struck  with  the  similarity  between 
the  voices  of  the  false  uncle  and  false  nephew,  not  to 
detect  the  entire  absence  of  any  such  resemblance  when 
she  should  see  them  together.  Besides,  it  was  certain 
that  M.  Goefle  would  not  lend  himself  to  any  such  deceit ; 
and  it  pained  Christian  to  think  that  Margaret  would  re- 
tain an  unfavorable  recollection  of  him.  So  he  confessed 
the  truth  of  his  own  accord,  acknowledging  that  he  had 
allowed  himself,  as  he  did  not  know  her,  to  play  a  joke 
at  her  expense,  by  disguising  himself  in  the  doctor's  pe- 
lisse and  cap,  and  pretending  to  be  he.  He  added  that 
he  had  deeply  repented,  upon  discovering  how  angelic  a 
nature  it  was  that  h*  had  thus  been  trifling  with.  Margaret 
was  a  little  displeased.  She  had  had  an  instant's  revelation 
of  the  truth,  when  Christian's  voice  first  fell  upon  her  ear 
at  the  ball ;  but  his  manner  was  so  perfectly  natural  when 
he  lold  her  that  he  had  heard  everything  from  the  next 
room,  that  she  had  dismissed  all  doubts  from  her  mind. 

"  Ah  !  "  she  said,  "  how  skilful  you  are  in  deceiving, 
and  how  easy  it  is  to  be  duped  by  your  explanations  !  I 
cannot  be  offended  at  your  joke  in  itself,  for  I  was  guilty 
of  an  imprudence  in  coming  here,  and  I  was  properly 
punished  by  a  mystification.  But  what  I  am  sorry  for  is 
that  you  should  have  carried  on  the  deceit  for  so  long,  with 
so  mujch  assurance  and  such  an  appearance  of  candor." 

"  Say  with  remorse,  and  a  consciousness  of  guilt.  One 
fault  always  occasions  others,  and  —  " 

u  And  what?     What  more  have  you  to  confess?" 

Christian  had  been  on  the  very  point  of  telling  the 
whole  truth.  But  he  paused  ;  for  he  remembered  at  that 
instant  that  at  the  name  of  Christian  Waldo  Margaret 
would  fly,  annoyed  and  indignant.  He  therefore  resigned 


2i 8  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

himself  to  a  half  sincerity  :  to  the  young  countess  he  con- 
tinued to  be  Christian  Goefle.  But  this  dissimulation, 
which  would  have  merely  amused  him  with  any  one  else, 
became  extremely  irksome  when  he  saw  her  limpid  eyes 
fixed  on  him  with  an  expression  of  fear  and  reproach. 

"I  only  meant  to  play  with  her,"  he  said  to  himself, 
"  as  one  child  might  with  another  ;  but  now,  in  spite  of 
all  we  could  do,  sentiment  has  intervened,  and  the  more 
honorable  and  delicate  it  is,  the  more  guilty  I  feel  —  " 

He  became  sad  in  his  turn,  and  Margaret  perceived  it. 

"  Come,"  she  said,  with  a  smile  aH  radiant  with  good- 
ness, "  let  us  not  allow  any  regrets  to  spoil  our  romantic 
meeting.  We  are  abouf.  to  part,  but  we  do  so  with  our 
kind  feelings  towards  each  other  unchanged.  You  have 
not  abused  my  confidence  by  turning  me  into  ridicule  ;  on 
the  contrary,  you  have  helped  me  to  rely  upon  myself, 
and  to  struggle  against  an  unfortunate  destiny.  Instead 
of  feeling  hurt  and  ridiculous,  I  feel  that  I  am  standing 
more  firmly  on  my  poor  feet  than  I  was  yesterday  at  this 
hour." 

"That  is  true,  ia  it  not?"  said  Christian,  warmly; 
"  and  I  call  heaven  to  witness  —  " 

"  Go  on,"  said  Margaret. 

"  I  call  heaven  to  witness,"  he  repeated,  with  enthusi- 
asm, "that  I  have  been  influenced  by  no  selfish  motive  in 
anything  I  have  done  ;  that  my  only  thought  has  been  to 
promote  your  happiness." 

"  I  know  it  is  so,  Christian,"  exclaimed  Margaret,  ris- 
ing, and  holding  out  her  hand  to  him ;  "  I  know  well  that 
in  me  you  have  only  beheld  your  poor  sister  in  the  sight 
of  God.  I  thank  you  for  it ;  and  now  I  must  say  fare- 
well, for  your  uncle  will  be  coming  back.  He  does  not 
know  me,  and  it  will  be  quite  useless  to  tell  him  ^that  I 
have  been  here.  But  you  may  tell  him  whatever  else 
you  think  proper.  I  am  very  sure  that  he  will  not  work 
against  me,  and  that  he  is  as  honorable  and  generous  as 
yourself." 

"  But  still,"  said  Christian,  who  saw  with  regret  the 
end  of  his  romantic  adventure  rapidly  approaching,  "  you 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


219 


came  to  say  something  to  him.  Perhaps  he  ought  to 
know  it." 

"  I  came  to  ask  him,"  said  Margaret,  with  a  little  he.s- 
itation,  "  to  tell  me  plainly  what  my  aunt's  intentions 
were  in  case  of  an  open  revolt  upon  my  part.  But  that 
again  was  an  act  of  cowardice  I  do  not  require  to  know. 
Let  her  banish  me,  isolate  me,  imprison  me,  strike  me  — 
what  does  it  matter?  I  will  not  yield,  I  promise  you.  I 
swear  to  you,  I  will  never  marry  any  man  whom  I  can- 
not—  esteem." 

Margaret  dared  riot  say  love,  and  Christian  was  just  as 
powerless  to  utter  that  word,  but  their  eyes  said  it,  and 
their  cheeks  glowed  with  a  sympathetic  blush.  After 
conversing  confidentially  for  an  hour,  their  souls,  in  that 
brief  glance,  spoke  to  each  other,  and  acknowledged  their 
inward  emotion,  and  yet  neither  of  them  was  conscious 
of  the  fact ;  Margaret,  because  she  did  not  know  that  she 
loved,  and  Christian,  because  he  felt  certain  that  he  did 
not.  And  yet,  when  Margaret  had  stepped  into  her 
sleigh  again,  and  when  Christian  could  see  her  no  longer, 
they  were  both  conscious  of  a  sudden  pain,  as  if  their 
hearts  had  been  rent  asunder.  Tears,  that  she  did  not 
feel,  coursed  slowly  down  the  young  girl's  cheeks  ;  while 
Christian,  buried  in  confused  reveries,  sighed  as  deeply 
as  if  he  had  awakened  from  a  dream  of  sunshine  to  find 
himself  once  more  in  the  frigid  winter.  In  order  to 
watch  the  sleigh  the  longer,  he  went  back  to  the  bear- 
room,  and  stepped  between  the  two  sashes  of  the  window, 
when  a  rustling  behind  him  made  him  turn  round,  and  he 
beheld  a  sight  that  filled  him  with  amazement. 

An  old  man,  thin  and  pale,  but  with  noble  features, 
and  carefully  dressed  in  a  gray  suit  of  ancient  fashion, 
was  standing  erect  in  the  midst  of  the  chamber,  with  a 
green  branch  in  his  hand.  Christian  had  not  heard  him 
enter,  and  the  figure,  illumined  by  the  declining  sun, 
which,  as  it  neared  the  west,  was  sending  a  red  and  dusty 
beam  of  light  through  the  one  long  window  of  the 
sombre  room,  seemed  a  fantastic  vision.  His  expres- 
sion, moreover,  was  as  singular  as  his  unexpected  pres- 
ence. He  seemed  undecided  ;  astonished,  as  it  were,  to 


220  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

find  himself  in  that  place  ;  and  his  small,  glassy  eyes  in- 
spected with  amazement  the  changes  which  the  new 
guests  had  made  in  the  previous  melancholy  arrange- 
ments of  the  room.  A  moment's  reflection  satisfied 
Christian  that  this  strange  apparition,  instead  of  being  a 
spectre,  was  probably  old  Stenson,  come  to  wait  upon  M. 
Gocfle  and  surprised  at  not  finding  him.  But  what  was 
the  meaning  of  that  green  branch,  and  why  that  timid 
and  disappointed  look? 

It  was,  in  fact,  old  Stenson ;  and  his  sight  being  as 
good  as  his  hearing  was  poor,  he  had  quickly  noticed  that 
the  fire  was  burning,  the  table  set,  and  the  clock  going. 
He  did  not  move  quickly,  however,  and  Christian  had 
time  to  draw  back  behind  the  folds  of  an  old  curtain, 
nibbled  almost  to  a  fringe  by  the  mice,  before  the  old 
man's  eye  had  reached  the  open  window.  From  this  hid- 
ing-place he  could  watch  him  without  being  seen.  Sten- 
son's  idea  was  that  his  nephew,  of  whose  drunken  habits 
he  was  aware,  had,  without  notifying  him,  invited  some 
of  his  boon  companions  to  a  Christmas  revel  in  the  bear- 
room.  The  height,  of  his  indignation  no  one  but  himself 
could  have  expressed.  His  first  care  was  to  put  out  of 
sight  the  traces  of  such  scandalous  disorder.  He  began 
by  scattering  all  the  live  coals  in  the  stove,  so  that  the  fire 
should  go  out  of  itself;  and  then,  before  either  clearing 
off  the  table,  or  going  to  send  the  delinquent  to  do  it,  he 
stopped  the  pendulum  of  the  clock,  and  put  the  hands  back 
to  four  o'clock,  where  it  had  stood  before  the  profane  hand 
of  Christian  had  set  it  going.  Next,  he  turned  and  looked 
up,  as  if  to  count  the  candles  in  the  chandelier,  but  the 
sun  shone  in  his  eyes,  and  he  stepped  forward  to  the  win- 
dow, probably  to  shut  it. 

At  this  moment,  Christian,  seeing  that  he  was  about 
to  be  discovered,  came  forward.  But  at  this  appari- 
tion, standing  in  a  nimbus  of  the  rays  of  the  setting 
sun,  Stenson,  who  was  probably  not  the  least  supersti- 
tious member  of  his  family,  recoiled  to  the  middle  of 
the  floor  under  the  chandelier,  with  a  countenance  of 
such  anguish,  that  Christian,  forgetting  the  old  man's 
deafness,  spoke  to  him  kindly  and  respectfully,  with  the 


THE   SNOW  MAN.  221 

intention  of  reassuring  him.  But  his  voice  was  lost 
without  awakening  an  echo,  in  the  large  and  fast  chilling 
room.  Stenson  fell  on  his  knees  before  him,  stretching 
out  his  arms  as  if  to  implore  his  protection  or  to  bless 
him,  arid  holding  out,  with  a  tremulousness  that  was 
almost  convulsive,  the  cypress-bough,  as  one  offers  a 
votive  palm-bough  to  some  divinity. 

"Why,  my  good  man,"  said  Christian,  raising  his 
voice,  and  coming  nearer,  "I  am  not  God,  nor  even 
the  Christmas  angel  that  comes  in  at  the  window  or 
down  the  chimney.  Get  up  !  I  am  —  " 

But  he  stopped  short,  for  a  livid  pallor  overspread  the 
old  man's  face,  which  was  already  so  wan.  He  perceived 
that  his  appearance  had  thrown  Stenson  into  mortal 
terror,  and  drew  back  to  allow  him  to  recover  himself. 
This  the  old  man  did  in  a  measure,  but  only  suffi- 
ciently to  think  of  escaping.  He  dragged  himself  along 
for  a  few  instants,  and  then  rising  up  with  difficulty, 
fled  through  the  sleeping  chamber,  murmuring,  as  he 
went,  disconnected  words,  without  any  distinguishable 
meaning.  Christian,  who  supposed  that  he  was  suffer- 
ing from  some  attack  of  mental  disorder,  brought  on 
by  old  age  or  excessive  religious  devotion,  refrained 
from  following  him,  for  fear  of  making  him  worse. 
There  was  a  small  slip  of  parchment  fastened  to  the 
branch  which  the  old  man  had  let  fall  at  his  feet,  and 
picking  it  up,  he  read  the  following  three  verses  of  the 
Bible,  written  upon  it  in  a  reasonably  firm  hand  : 

"  Destruction  and  death  say,  We  have  heard  the  fame 
thereof  with  our  ears." 

"Did  I  not  weep  for  him  who  was  in  trouble?  Was 
not  my  soul  grieved  for  the  poor  ?  " 

"A  good  man  leaveth  an  inheritance  to  his  children's 
children,  and  the  wealth  of  the  sinner  is  laid  up  for  the 
just." 

Christian  had  no  time  to  employ  his  imagination  in 
hunting  for  answers  to  this  riddle.  The  day  was  rapidly 
drawing  to  a  close.  It  was  only  half-past  one  in  the 
afternoon,  and  already  the  transparent  shadows  of  the 
snowy  peaks  around  were  lengthening  upon  the  blue  sur- 


222  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

face  of  the  lake.  It  was  a  beautiful  sight,  and,  had  his 
affairs  permitted,  Christian  would  have  loved  to  gaze 
upon  it.  These  short  northern  days  have  aspects  infin- 
itely picturesque ;  and  even  at  noon  they  are  full  of 
striking  effects,  as  painters  say,  resulting  from  the 
obliquity  of  the  sun's  rays,  which  cover  the  landscape 
with  strong  lights  and  shades,  such  as  in  other  countries 
are  only  visible  at  morning  and  evening.  This  is  prob- 
ably the  reason  of  the  beautiful  sunlight  which  northern 
travellers  are  so  enthusiastic  about.  It  is  not  alone  the 
extraordinary  landscapes,  impetuous  waterfalls,  immense 
lakes  and  splendid  auroras  of  Sweden  and  Norway,  of 
which  they  retain  such  intoxicating  recollections ;  quite 
as  remarkable,  they  affirm,  is  the  delicious  purity  of  the 
atmosphere,  in  which  even  the  most  trifling  objects 
assume  a  brightness  and  a  charm  of  which  nothing  any- 
where else  can  give  an  idea. 

But  our  hero,  while  he  observed  the  beauty  of  the 
heavens,  observed  also  the  swift  decline  of  the  day,  and 
discerned,  afar  off,  the  actual  preparations  for  the  very 
entertainment  for  which,  in  fulfilment  of  his  engagement, 
he  was  to  be  in  part  responsible.  The  chimneys  of 
the  new  chateau  were  sending  out  thick  columns  of  black 
smoke,  that  showed  strongly  against  the  evening  sky, 
flecked  with  rosy  and  pearl-hued  clouds.  Gun-shots, 
repeated  by  the  muffled  echoes  of  the  snowy  hills,  an- 
nounced that  the  huntsmen  were  at  work  to  supply  the 
spits  of  thos*  Pantagruelian  fireplaces.  Busy  messen- 
gers on  skates  were  speeding  in  all  directions,  crossing 
each  other's  tracks,  and  occasionally  falling  headlong 
upon  the  ice  of.  the  lake.  All  the  country  round  was 
being  ransacked  for  everything  it  could  furnish,  from 
the  monstrous  back -logs  that  were  to  adorn  the  fires  in 
every  room  of  the  house,  down  to  the  poor  little  white 
partridge,  which  had  trusted  to  his  winter's  garb  to  pro- 
tect it  from  the  sagacious  eye  of  man,  and  the  pitiless 
scent  of  the  hunting-dog. 

The  fifth  night  of  the  Christmas  festivities  —  for 
this  was  December  28th — promised  to  be  a  splendid 
one.  Christian  alone  was  not  enjoying  the  prospect ;  he 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


223 


was  becoming  impatient  for  the  return  of  Puffo.  Having 
resumed  his  poor  devil's  suit,  pulled  his  abundant  hair 
over  his  handsome  forehead,  and  his  steeple-crowned 
hat  down  over  his  eyes,  he  went  to  hunt  up  his  subordi- 
nate in  the  court,  in  the  gaard,  and  even  in  the  kitchen, 
where  he  had  so  frightened  Ulphilas  the  evening  before. 
It  never  occurred  to  him  to  go  down  into  the  cellar.  If 
he  had,  he  would  have  discovered  PufFo,  established  in 
the  very  paradise  of  his  dreams. 

He  was  about  returning,  when  it  occurred  to  him  to 
explore  Stenson's  little  fruit-garden.  "With  a  prelim- 
inary glance,  to  be  sure  that  the  old  overseer  whom  he 
had  alarmed  so  much  was  not  there,  he  descended  the 
steep  walk  that  led  down  to  the  edge  of  the  lake.  From 
this  point  he  could  see  the  whole  length  of  the  gaard, 
built  along  the  slope  that  plunged  down  to  the  little  bay. 
The  old  masonry  was  so  well  united  to  the  rock,  that 
one  could  hardly  distinguish  the  natural  from  the  arti- 
ficial fortification,  especially  under  their  clothing  of  long 
wall-plants,  crystallized  by  the  frost,  and  hanging  down 
below  into  the  lake,  where  they  were  deeply  imbedded 
in  the  ice.  As  he  stood  there,  he  tried  to  trace  the  route 
he  had  followed  the  day*before,  on  his  expedition  into 
the  secret  passage  of  the  bear-room.  We  promised  the 
reader  an  account  of  this  expedition,  and  this  is  the 
proper  time  for  it. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  in  setting  out  to  hunt  up 
something  for  supper,  he  had  ventured  into  a  passage 
hidden  by  a  door  very  neatly  fitted  into  the  wood- work, 
and  leading  from  under  the  stairs,  which  he  supposed 
might  conduct  to  the  lodging  of  M.  Stenson.  Such  was, 
however,  by  no  means  the  case.  After  a  few  steps 
along  a  confined  passage,  Christian  had  come  to  a  nar- 
row staircase,  steep,  and  obstructed  with  rubbish,  as  if 
no  human  foot  had  ascended  it  for  a  long  time.  At  the 
foot  of  the  staircase,  which  was  very  long,  he  had  found 
an  open  door.  Surprised  at  this  free  entrance  to  a  pas- 
sage apparently  itself  so  mysterious,  he  was  stepping 
through  it,  when  a  gust  of  wind  extinguished  his  candle, 
and  he  was  left  in  darkness.  He  still  advanced  cau- 


224 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


tiously  a  few  steps,  when  the  moon  appeared  from  behind 
some  clouds,  and  he  saw  that  he  was  in  a  sort  of  cavern, 
or  gallery,  opening  at  intervals  upon  the  lake.  The 
water  of  the  lake  penetrated  into  this  gallery,  which 
seemed  to  be  a  natural  excavation.  He  followed  it  for 
some  distance,  walking  upon  the  ice  the  latter  part  of  the 
way,  until  he  reached,  at  last,  a  small  wicket,  over  which 
he  climbed  without  difficulty,  and  thus  gained  admit- 
tance first  to  the  fruit-garden,  and  thence  to  M.  Stenson's 
gaard. 

Christian  at  once  recognized  this  little  gate,  flanked  on 
either  side  by  two  young  yew-trees,  cut  into  a  sugar-loaf 
shape  ;  and,  with  this  for  a  guide,  he  was  able  to  recog- 
nize the  principal  points  of  his  nocturnal  expedition. 
Although  he  had  no  particular  expectation  of  finding 
Puffo  in  that  quarter,  he  passed  through  the  fruit-garden, 
and  walked  along  the  lake  around  the  outer  cliffs,  in  the 
direction  of  the  donjon.  He  was  curious  to  see  by  day- 
light the  path  along  which  he  had  made  his  way  the  night 
before,  partly  by  feeling,  and  partly  by  the  light  of  the 
moon. 

He  soon  came  to  the  entrance  of  what  he  had  taken  for  a 
grotto.  It  was,  in  fact,  only  a  deposit  of  enormous  blocks 
of  granite,  of  that  sort  termed  erratic  boulders  —  that  is, 
blocks  isolated  from  their  primitive  location,  and  now 
lodged  where  they  could  not  have  been  originally  formed. 
The  position  of  such  boulders  is  due,  it  is  supposed,  to 
some  primeval  or  modern  cataclysm —  a  vast  rush  of 
waters,  or  the  slow  transportation  of  glaciers  or  icebergs  — 
which  has  brought  them  from  distant  regions  to  their  final 
resting-place.  Those  now  in  question  were  rounded,  like 
so  many  enormous  pebbles,  and  their  capricious  super- 
position, one  above  another,  seemed  to  indicate  that  while 
whirled  along  by  a  tremendous  force,  they  had  been  sud- 
denly arrested  and  piled  against  the  mica-schist  mass  of 
Stollborg,  of  which  they  thus  became,  as  it  were,  but- 
tresses or  outworks.  It  was  difficult  to  walk  among  them, 
on  account  of  the  snow,  which,  during  the  storm  of  the 
night  before,  had  been  swept,  or  rather  rolled  by  the  wind 


THE   SNOW  MAN.  225 

into  great  drifts  or  ridges,  stretching,  like  a  vast  winding- 
sheet,  along  the  range  of  boulders. 

Christian  found  his  progress  so  impeded,  that  he  was 
about  to  retrace  his  steps,  when  he  was  struck  by  the  pic- 
turesque aspect  of  the  donjon  towering  above  him,  and 
withdrew  a  little  to  see  it  to  better  advantage.  He  tried, 
mechanically,  to  make  out  the  position  of  the  bear-room, 
and  easily  recognized  it  by  its  one  window,  about  a  hun- 
dred feet  above  the  level  of  the  lake,  and  fifty  above  the 
summits  of  the  boulders.  The  cold  was  not  very  extreme, 
and  Christian,  who  always  carried  a  little  drawing-book 
in  his  pocket,  began  an  outline  sketch  of  the  tower,  Avith 
its  lofty  escarpment  in  the  rock  below,  and  its  chaos  of 
gigantic  boulders,  which  were  flung  together  in  such  a  way 
as  to  form  —  like  the  sandstone  rocks  at  Fontainebleau  — 
covered  passages  and  galleries,  whose  effect  was  extremely 
fantastic. 

While  studying  this  characteristic  scene,  Christian  heard 
some  one  singing,  at  first  without  paying  much  attention 
to  the  fact.  It  was  a  woman's  voice,  and  that  of  a  rustic, 
true  enough  in  intonation,  but  veiled,  and  sometimes  trem- 
ulous, as  of  an  infirm  or  aged  person.  She  seemed  to 
be  chanting  a  kind  of  psalm,  and,  although  monotonous, 
there  was  something  agreeable  in  the  melancholy  air. 
This  sad  and  quavering  melody  soothed  the  mind  of  the 
artist  as  it  continued,  and  brought  him  into  the  very  mood 
for  understanding  and  representing  the  features  of  a  locality 
with  which  the  voice  seemed  to  be  in  perfect  harmony. 
The  words  of  the  chant  were  at  first  indistinct :  but  as 
Christian  listened  mechanically,  he  gradually  recognized 
them  as  Swedish,  pronounced  with  the  Dalecarlian  ac- 
cent. Their  meaning  now  seemed  so  strange,  that  he 
began  to  listen  more  attentively  : 

"  I  saw  a  tower,  a  square  tower  by  the  setting  sun. 
Its  gates  look  to  the  north.  Drops  of  poison  sweat  from 
its  openings.  It  is  paved  with  serpents. 

"  The  tree  of  the  world  embraces  it;  the  strong  ash- 
tree  shakes.  The  great  serpent  bites  the  waves.  The 
eagle  screams ;  with  its  pale  beak  it  tears  the  corpses ; 
the  ship  of  the  dead  is  launched. 

15 


226  THE  SNO  W  MAN. 

"Where  are  the  Ases  and  the  Alfes?  They  sigh  by 
the  enti-ance  of  the  caves.  The  sun  begins  to  be  dark- 
ened ;  all  things  perish. 

"  But  earth,  green  and  beautiful,  begins  to  brighten 
again  from  the  east ;  the  waters  awake,  the  cascades  flow. 

"  I  saw  a  palace  fairer  than  the  sun  upon  the  top  of 
Gimli  — I  see  it  no  more.  The  Vala  falls  again  into  the 
night." 

In  these  sombre  poetical  fragments  Christian  gradually 
recognized  verses,  arranged  or  repeated  at  random,  from 
the  antique  poem  called  the  Voluspa.  This,  considering 
the  rustic  pronunciation  of  the  singer,  he  thought  very  ex- 
traordinary. Could  it  be  that  the  peasants  in  that  country 
had  preserved  a  tradition  of  the  sacred  chants  of  the  Scan- 
dinavian mythology  ?  This  seemed  hardly  probable,  and 
yet  who  could  have  taught  them  to  this  Avoman  ?  Chris- 
tian, who,  as  a  traveller,  was  curious  on  all  subjects,  re- 
solved to  find  and  cross-examine  the  singer,  as  soon  as  he 
had  finished  his  sketch  ;  but  when  he  returned  his  album 
to  his  pocket  a  few  moments  afterwards,  the  voice  had 
ceased.  He  looked  all  about,  but  could  see  no  one.  Sup- 
posing that  she  must  be  concealed  behind  the  boulders,  he 
proceeded  to  explore  them,  and  found  this  not  much  easier 
than  walking  in  the  deep  margin  of  the  snow-drift  outside. 
Within  the  expanse  of  the  principal  cavern,  which  followed 
the  turns  of  the  rock  for  some  fifty  steps,  there  was  no  foot- 
ing except  on  a  floor  of  ice,  very  slippery  and  wavy  on  the 
surface,  as  if  the  rippling  water  had  been  instantaneously 
frozen  on  some  cold  autumn  night. 

However,  our  adventurer  succeeded  in  discovering  the 
traces  of  his  own  steps,  made  the  night  before,  when  he 
imagined  he  was  walking  over  fragments  of  bricks  and 
tiles ;  and  soon  he  found,  also,  the  mysterious  door,  by 
which  he  had  issued  from  the  cloujon.  It  was  now  fast- 
ened with  two  strong  iron  staples  and  a  padlock,,  the  key 
of  which  had  been  carried  off.  This  must  have  been  just 
done  ;  the  singer  was  undoubtedly  some  dependent,  like 
Stenson  and  Ulphilas,  who  was  employed  about  the  old 
manor.  She  could  not  be  far  off,  for  he  had  heard  her 
singing  scarcely  five  minutes  before,  and  she  must  have 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


227 


been  behind  the  boulders,  for  Christian  could  see  over  the 
lake  in  all  directions,  and  from  top  to  bottom  of  the  cliffs 
at  the  base  of  the  tower,  and  no  one  was  visible.  He 
now  retraced  his  steps  to  leave  the  grotto,  which,  as  it 
was  only  lighted  by  a  natural  opening  in  about  the  middle 
of  its  whole  extent,  was  rather  dark.  Pausing  for  a  mo- 
ment under  this  natural  opening,  to  look  at  the  sky,  he 
saw,  between  himself  and  the  heavens,  an  object  project- 
ing over  the  rock  from  the  smooth  and  naked  flank  of  the 
donjon.  This  he  quickly  recognized  as  the  under-side  of 
the  stone  balcony  that  supported  the  double  window  of  the 
bear-room,  and  which  was  so  situated  that  any  one,  with 
a  cord  or  ladder,  might  easily  descend  through  the  space 
between  the  rocks  below,  when  he  would  at  once  find 
himself  under  cover  in  the  vault  which  they  formed  just 
at  this  place. 

Christian,  always  inclined  to  be  romantic,  immediately 
thought  out  a  plan  of  escape  to  be  adopted  in  case  of 
siege  or  captivity  in  Stollborg.  He  scaled  the  irreg- 
ular rocks  that  formed  the  sides  of  the  groito,  and,  with  a 
good  deal  of  exertion,  climbed  out  through  the  opening 
which,  he  was  satisfied,  had  not  been  made  by  the  hand 
of  man.  This  examination  led  him  to  i*eflect,  as  we 
have  all  had  occasion  to  do  at  least  once  in  our  lives, 
that  even  in  the  most  desperate  situations  chances  occa- 
sionally occur  so  improbable  that  they  seem  to  belong, 
not  to  real  life,  but  to  the  world  of  the  imagination. 
However,  still  bent  upon  pursuing  the  singer,  he  con- 
tinued his  examination  amongst  the  boulders,  between 
almost  any  two  of  which  there  was  room  for  penetrating. 
Finding  no  one.  he  was  just  giving  up  the  chase,  when 
he  heard  the  voice  again,  coming  this  time  from  much 
lower  down  than  he  had  supposed  it  to  be  when  he  heard 
it  in  the  first  place.  He  went  towards  it,  but  as  he  ap- 
proached the  spot  where  he  thought  the  mysterious  rhap- 
sodist  must  be  stationed,  the  chant,  which  had  suddenly 
ceased,  like  that  of  the  cicada  on  the  approach  of  man, 
was  heard  once  more  in  another  direction,  and  from  much 
higher  up,  as  if  floating  in  the  air  above  him.  Raising 
his  head,  Christian  now  perceived,  in  the  side  of  the 


228  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

donjon,  a  long  fissure,  half  hidden  by  ivy,  and  extending 
almost  vertically,  from  a  window  in  the  upper  story,  a 
good  deal  to  the  right  wf  the  window  in  the  bear-room, 
down  to  a  ruinous  part  of  the  wall,  below  which  were 
some  other  masses  of  rock. 

He  even  thought  that  he  could  see  pieces  of  stone 
falling  along  this  fissure,  as  if  some  person  had  just  made 
their  way  into  it ;  but,  on  approaching  as  near  as  he 
could,  it  seemed  to  him  quite  inaccessible,  and  he  went 
further  on. 

And  now  the  voice  once  more  began  its  plaintive  chant, 
and  Christian  —  amused  at  first,  but  finally  Avith  a  feel- 
ing of  irritation  —  followed  the  singer  from  one  place  to 
another  in  the  little  chaos  of  granite  rocks.  He  was  con- 
stantly disappointed,  until  he  really  began  to  be  somewhat 
startled.  These  savage  verses,  fragments  of  a  gloomy 
apocalypse,  disconnected  and  wild,  as  if  inspired  by  de- 
lirium, had  something  frightful  in  them,  when  lieard  in  that 
gloomy  place,  at  that  melancholy  evening  hour.  Christian 
thought  involuntarily  of  the  water-witches  who  are  the 
centre  of  all  the  legends  of  Sweden,  and  indeed  of  all 
popular  beliefs  throughout  the  north  of  Europe. 

At  last  he  persuaded  himself  that  the  voice  must  come 
from  the  tower  itself.  Perhaps  some  captive  was  hidden 
there  in  a  secret  dungeon.  He  called  aloud  three  times, 
using  at  a  venture  the  mythological  name  of  Vala,  that  is 
Sibyl,  which  the  singer,  in  her  chant,  had  seemed  to  wish 
to  appropriate.  At  this  the  voice  became  silent  again, 
as  if  in  confirmation  of  the  superstitious  belief  of  the 
country,  that  whenever  you  succeed  in  calling  one  of 
the  malevolent  or  melancholy  spirits  Avho  dwell  among 
the  mountains  by  its  name,  it  is  either  frightened  or  con- 
soled, and  in  either  case  is  reduced  to  silence. 

But  still  another  thought  haunted  Christian,  as  he 
finally  turned  to  go  back  to  the  tower  by  an  outside  path. 
He  could  not  help  asking  himself  whether  one  of  the  vic- 
tims of  the  mysterious  Baron  Olaus,  crazed  with  suffering, 
was  not  lamenting  in  a  dungeon  under  his  feet.  How- 
ever, he  forgot  all  about  this  fantastic  idea,  when  he 
found  M.  Goefle  seated  at  table  in  the  bear-room. 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


229 


"  Well,"  said  the  lawyer,  without  troubling  himself  to 
rise,  "you  came  near  bringing  me  into  a  pretty  scrape 
with  your  prank  last  evening.  .  The  baron,  strange  to 
say,  did  not  mention  a  word  about  it ;  but  the  Countess 
Elveda  absolutely  would  not  believe  me  when  I  protested 
and  swore  that  I  had  neither  a  nephew  nor  a  natural 
child." 

"  What,  M.  Goefle !  did  you  disown  a  son  who  has 
done  you  so  much  honor?" 

"  I  did  indeed  ;  it  would  have  been  quite  impracticable 
for  me  to  keep  up  the  joke,  or  to  assume  the  responsi- 
bility of  such  a  mystification  !  Do  you  know  that  you 
did  not  escape  observation  by  any  means  ?  Quite  inde- 
pendently of  the  scene  with  your  host,  everybody 
seems  to  have  been  struck  by  your  style  and  graces,  the 
ladies  especially.  In  the  countess's  room  I  met  five  or 
six  of  the  more  fashionable  ladies  of  the  province,  who 
were  quite  infatuated  about  you  ;  and  when  I  swore  upon 
my  honor  that  I  had  nothing  whatever  to  do  with  this 
unknown,  you  should  have  heard  their  suppositions  and 
commentaries !  Some  of  them  were  inclined  to  suggest 
that  it  might  have  been  Christian  Waldo,  of  whom  so 
many  adventurous  stories  are  told ;  but  the  prevailing 
opinion  was  that  you  were  the  prince  royal,  travelling 
incognito  about  his  future  kingdom." 

"Prince  Henry,  who  is  now  at  Paris?" 

"Yes;  and  this  served  capitally  to  account  for  the 
baron's  nervous  attack,  for  he  detests  the  prince,  and 
would  naturally  have  been  agitated  on  meeting  him,  by 
the  conflict  between  his  hate  and  resentment  on  the  one 
hand,  and  the  respect  due  to  the  future  heir  of  the  throne 
on  the  other." 

"But  the  Countess  Elveda  cannot  have  been  deceived 
by  such  a  silly  idea  as  that  ?  " 

"  Oh  no,  certainly  not,  she  knows  the  prince  too  well ; 
but  she  is  extremely  fond  of  quizzing,  and  she  amused 
herself  by  pretending  to  these  ladies  that  you  were  so 
rmich  like  our  future  monarch,  that  she  did  not  know 
what  to  think.  Only,  as  I  was  going  out,  she  took  me 
aside  and  said :  '  You  are  severe,  my  friend,  in  disown- 


230 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


ing  this  imprudent  young  man.  For  my  own  part,  I 
thought  him  very  agreeable,  and  if  he  does  not  resemble 
you  in  features,  he  takes  after  you  at  least  in  his  wit  and 
distinguished  manners.' " 

"Why,  Monsieur  Goefle,  that  is  very  flattering  to  me. 
But  then  she  persists  in  believing  me  your  son?" 

"  Without  doubt ;  and  the  more  I  protested  to  the  con- 
trary, the  more  she  laughed,  and  insisted  tlrat  it  was  im- 
possible for  me  to  disown  you,  since  you  had  so  publicly 
presented  yourself  in  society  under  my  name.  '  The 
wine  is  drawn,'  she  said,  '  and  you  must  drink  it.  He  is 
a  roguish  fellow,  and  is  trying  to  plague  you.  It  is  a 
just  punishment  of  the  follies  of  our  youth,  to  become 
the  parents  of  "  such  terrible  children  !  "  '  Please  to  ob- 
serve the  stain  which  you  have  brought  upon  my  reputa- 
tion !  At  last,  to  rid  myself  of  you,  I  said  that  whether 
son  or  nephew,  you  had  gone  away ;  that  I  had  packed 
you  off  in  disgrace  for  having  been  disrespectful  to  his 
lordship  the  baron." 

"  Very  right,  Monsieur  Goefle :  you  did  quite  right ; 
for,  as  to  the  baron,  I  don't  know  whether  I  am  dream- 
ing, but  I  am  really  beginning  to  consider  him  almost  as 
much  of  a  Blue-Beard  as  the  reports  about  him  represent. 
I  should  have  found  out  all  about  it,  if  I  had  had  more 
time." 

"  Ah  !  ah  !  really?  Well,  you  must  tell  me  all  about  it ; 
but,  in  the  meanwhile,  have  something  to  eat.  It  is  after 
two  o'clock,  and  you  must  be  almost  dead  with  hunger." 

"I?  No,  not  at  all.  It  seems  to  me  as  if  I  had  just 
got  up  from  table.  Were  we  not  eating  until  almost 
noon  ?  " 

"  Well,  but  don't  you  know  that  in  such  a  cold  climate 
as  this  you  need  to  eat  every  two  hours?  I  have  just 
had  coffee  at  the  new  chateau  ;  this  is  dinner,  now ;  at 
four,  Ave  will  have  coffee  together;  at  six  we  will  have 
the  aftonward ;  that  is,  we  will  take  some  bread  and  but- 
ter and  cheese,  while  waiting  for  supper." 

"  Good  heavens  !  how  you  keep,  at  it !  I  knew  per- 
fectly well  that  that  was  the  regimen  of  the  fat  burghers 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


231 


at  Stockholm ;  but  you,  M.  Goefle,  who  are  so  slender 
still ! " 

41  Well,  do  you  want  me  to  become  a  skeleton?  I 
should  very  quickly,  if  I  should  vary  from  our  customs. 
Believe  me,  you  had  better  conform  to  them,  or  you  will 
very  soon  be  ill." 

44  To  enable  me  to  obey  you,  M.  Geefle,  I  need  two 
things :  time,  and  my  assistant  Puffo.  Now,  time  is 
flying ;  and  Puffo  only  appeared  to  me  a  moment,  and 
then  disappeared,  perhaps  not  to  return  until  to-morrow 
morning." 

4'But  could  I  not  help  you  myself?  What  is  to  be 
done?" 

44  A  good  many  things  ;  but  most  of  all,  to  decide  upon 
our  piece  and  run  it  over  together,  so  that  that  animal, 
Puffo,  may  be  ready  to  represent  with  me.  He  has  a 
sufficiently  good  memory,  if  he  can  have  one  rehearsal 
before  the  performance  ;  but  now,  as  we  have  been  trav- 
elling some  days  without  doing  anything,  and  as  he  is 
probably  drunk  to  night  already — " 

44  Come,  come!  You  have  five  hours  before  you  —  an 
immense  quantity  of  time !  More  than  I  have  needed, 
sometimes,  to  prepare  a  cause  a  great  deal  more  com- 
plicated than  your  comedies  of  marionettes !  I  promise 
to  help  you,  I  tell  you,  but  on  condition  that  you  will  sit 
down  and  eat  with  me,  for  I  don't  know  anything  more 
uncomfortable  than  to  eat  alone." 

44  You  will  permit  me  to  be  pretty  quick,  then,  won't 
you?"  said  Christian,  taking  a  seat  opposite  the  lawyer, 
44  and  not  to  talk  too  much,  for  I  shall  need  all  my  lungs 
this  evening." 

"Very  well,  very  well,"  replied  M.  Goefle,  cutting  off 
for  Christian  an  enormoxis  piece  of  cold  veal  —  a  dish 
greatly  esteemed  by  the  middle  classes  in  Sweden,  when 
properly  cooked  ;  44  but  what  were  you  saying  to  me  just 
after  you  came  in?  What  was  it  you  would  have  dis- 
covered, if  you  had  had  a  little  more  time?" 

Christian  related  his  adventure,  and  at  the  close  of 
his  story  asked  M.  Goefle  if  he  supposed  the  lower  part 
of  Stollborg  contained  any  old  prison. 


23  2 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


"  Upon  my  word  I  don't  know  anything  about  it,"  re- 
plied the  advocate.  "  It  is  very  possible  that  there  may 
be  some  kind  of  cell  in  the  great  mass  of  masonry  here 
under  our  feet,  and  if  so,  I  have  no  doubt  that  it  has 
been  used  as  a  prison.  Our  ancestors  were  not  persons 
of  very  refined  manners,  and  even  yet  our  nobility  have 
justiciary  rights»on  their  own  domains." 

"  And  do  you  think  it  equally  probable  that  this  sub-' 
structure  of  the  donjon  may  be  serving  as  a  prison  now?" 

"  Who  knows  ?     What  are  you  thinking  of  ?  " 

"That  possibly  some  person  may  be  wickedly  buried 
there,  a  still  living  victim  of  one  of  the  thousand  dark 
and  secret  crimes  attributed  to  the  vengeful  baron." 

':  Really,  it  would  be  strange  enough  to  discover  that !  " 
said  the  lawyer,  who  had  suddenly  become  thoughtful. 
"  Are  you  sure  you  were  not  dreaming  when  you  thought 
you  heard  the  voice  and  strange  songs?" 

"  Sure  !  how  can  you  ask?  " 

"  There  is  no  knowing  ;  you  said  yourself  a  little  while 
ago  that  people  are  sometimes  subject  to  hallucinations. 
Now  the  ear,  as  well  as  the  eye,  may  become  the  medium 
of  the  illusion  ;  and  you  ought  to  be  aware  —  to  be  prop- 
erly on  your  guard  —  to  what  an  extent  hallucinations 
prevail  in  Sweden,  especially  towards  the  north,  where 
really,  with  two-thirds  of  the  population,  they  are  a  sort 
of  chronic  condition." 

"  Yes,  I  know  that  such  visions  become  contagious 
when  reinforced  by  superstition  ;  but  I  beg  you  to  believe 
that  I  have  no  faith  in  the  witches  or  evil  spirits  of  either 
lakes,  torrents,  or  old  castles,  and  that  I  could  not  be  in- 
fluenced, therefore,  in  any  such  way." 

"  Nor  I,  assuredly.  And  yet — Well,  Christian,  there 
must  be,  independently  of  superstition,  something  inex- 
plicable in  the  effects  produced  by  the  natural  scenery  and 
conditions  of  the  north  upon  vivid  imaginations.  It  is 
in  the  air  ;  in  the  singular  sounds  that  go  ringing  along 
the  ice  ;  in  the  mists,  full  of  mysterious  forms  ;  in  the 
marvellous  mirage  of  our  lakes,  c~alled  the  hagring,  an 
extraordinary  phenomenon  which  you  must  have  heard 
of,  and  which  you  may  see  at  any  moment.  Possibly 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


233 


something  of  it  may  result  from  physical  disorders  in  the 
circulation  of  the  blood,  induced  by  constantly  passing 
out  of  the  icy  atmosphere  into  the  over-heated  air  of  our 
rooms,  and  the  contrary.  Anyhow,  it  is  a  fact  that  we 
find  the  most  reasonable  people,  those  in  the  most  perfect 
health,  the  least  credulous,  even  such  as  have  passed  the 
greater  portion  of  their  lives  free  from  "illusions,  all  at 
once  becoming  subject  to  them.  Even  I  myself —  " 

"  Go  on,  I  beg  you,  M.  Goefle  —  at  least  unless  the 
subject  is  too  painful ;  you  are  as  white  as  your  napkin." 

"  I  do  really  feel  quite  unwell.  I  have  felt  so  two  or 
three  times  to-day.  What  a  poor  machine  is  man  !  Any- 
thing that  his  reason  cannot  explain  either  frightens  him 
or  annoys  him.  Pour  me  out  a  good  glass  of  port, 
Christian.  Your  health !  I  am  glad,  on  the  whole,  that 
I  declined  the  invitation  to  dine  over  yonder  ;  I  like  bet- 
ter to  be  here  with  you  in  this  gloomy  room,  that  I  can 
laugh  at,  after  all—  Well,  as  you  are  eating  without  being 
hungry  to  please  me,  and  are  listening  to  me  in  spite  of 
your  own  business  matters,  I  will  tell  you  about  my  hal- 
lucination ;  it  is  at  least  as  singular  as  yours : 

"It  was  no  longer  ago  than  last  evening,  and  in  this 
very  place  where  we  now  are.  '  I  was  in  the  other  room, 
quite  absorbed  in  investigating  a  very  interesting  legal 
matter,  while  my  little  valet,  after  making  me  a  good 
deal  of  trouble,  at  last  condescended  to  go  to  sleep.  I 
had  intended  to  stay  with  him,  by  a  great  effort  of  patience, 
fora  quarter  of  an  hour  or  so  ;  not  more,  for  I  was  hungry, 
though  I  did  not  know  that  food  had  been  brought.  How- 
ever, the  demon  of  study,  who  has  the  art  of  making  every 
pursuit  interesting,  even  that  of  the  law,  took  possession  of 
me  so  completely,  that  I  forgot  everything,  until  my  poor 
stomach  was  obliged  fairly  to  shout  into  my  ears  that  it 
was  eleven  o'clock  at  night. 

"  Well,  I  looked  at  my  watch,  and  sure  enough  it  was 
eleven  o'clock.  The  truth  is,  that  my  housekeeper  is  in 
the  habit  of  looking  after  me,  and  calling  me  to  my  meals, 
and  I  had  quite  forgotfen  that  in  this  den  of  a  place,  left 
to  the  care  of  that  lunatic  of  an  Ulphilas,  I  should  not  be 
notified  of  anything  whatever.  Nils,  as  I  told  you,  is  a 


234 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


servant  whom  Gertrude  selected  for  me,  so  as  to  teach  me 
the  duties  of  the  valet-de-chambre.  "Well,  as  I  had  fasted 
for  full  seven  long  hours,  I  got  up  at  once,  took  the  light 
and  came  into  this  room,  where  I  found  the  dishes  that 
you  had  brought  on  the  table  ;  I  gave  Ulphilas  the  credit 
of  this  rather  late  hospitality,  and  set  about  satisfying  my 
appetite  probably  rather  voraciously. 

"  You  know  already,  my  dear  Christian,  that  this  old 
ruin  has  the  reputation  of  being  haunted  by  the  devil. 
At  least,  this  is  the  Opinion  of  the  orthodox  portion  of  the 
community,  who  account  for  the  circumstance  by  affirm- 
ing that  it  was  used,  not  long  ago,  as  a  chapel  by  a 
Catholic  lady,  the  Baroness  Hilda,  widow  of  Adelstan, 
the  elder  brother  —  " 

"  Of  Baron  Olaus  de  Waldemora,"  said  Christian ; 
"•  but  have  the  Dalecarlians  such  a  horror  of  Catholicism 
as  that  ? " 

"  They  abominate  it,"  said  M.  Goefle,  "  as  much  as 
they  did  the  reformed  religion  before  the  time  of  Gustavus 
Vasa.  They  are  a  race  who  neither  love  nor  hate  by 
halves.  As  to  this  demon  who  haunts  Stollborg,  old 
Stenson  does  not  believe  in  it,  but  he  docs  thoroughly 
believe  in  the  Gray  Lady  ;  who,  he  says,  is  nothing  else 
than  the  spirit  of  the  late  baroness,  who  died  in  this  room 
more  than  twenty  years  ago. 

"  An  hour  before,  I  had  been  laughing  at  apparitions, 
to  reassure  my  little  serving-lad ;  but  you  know  how  it  is 
with  dreams.  Very  often  some  careless  word  heard  or 
spoken  in  the  course  of  the  day,  and  forgotten  the  next 
moment,  proves  to  be  the  seed  from  which  they  blossom 
mysteriously,  and  without  our  own  consciousness  ;  and  so 
we  bear  them  in  our  minds  until  night,  when,  as  soon  as 
our  eyes  are  shut  and  our  reason  is  asleep,  they  rise  up 
before  our  deluded  vision  in  fantastic  forms,  endowed  now 
with  tenfold  their  real  significance,  and,  perhaps,  horror. 

"It  must  be,  it  seems  to  me,  that  hallucinations  — 
that  is,  waking  dreams  —  obey  exactly  the  same  law.  I 
had  ended  my  supper,  and  was  about  lighting  my  pipe, 
when  suddenly  there  swept  through  the  room  a  shrill, 
melancholy  sound,  like  that  of  the  wind  when  it  rushes 


THR  SNOW  MAN. 


235 


through  a  door  suddenly  opened  ;  the  air  was  at  the  same 
time  stirred  and  chilled,  and  the  flames  of  the  candles  that 
stood  upon  the  table  flickered.  At  the  moment,  I  hap- 
pened to  be  looking  towards  the  door  of  the  vestibule,  and 
seeing  that  this  was  firmly  fastened  and  motionless,  I  sup- 
posed that  Nils  had  awaked,  and  had  opened  the  opposite 
door,  that  of  the  guard-room. 

"  '  Ah  ! '  I  cried,  as  I  got  up,  '  there  you  are  again  ! 
Do  go  to  sleep,  will  you,  you  cursed  little  coward !' 

"  I  stepped  to  the  door,  thinking  that  the  little  rascal 
had  not  ventured  to  open  it  wide,  but  had  only  set  it  ajar, 
to  be  sure  I  had  not  gone  away.  But  this  door  was  shut 
as  tight  as  the  other. 

"  Had  the  child  closed  it  again  when  he?  saw  that  I  was 
there,  and  had  the  slight  sound  he  must  have  made  escaped 
me,  while  I  was  looking  for  my  pipe  and  refilling  the  stove? 
It  was  possible.  I  went  into  the  guard-room,  but  Nils 
was  fast  asleep,  with  his  little  fists  clenched.  Evidently 
he  had  not  stirred.  I  covered  up  the  fire  in  the  chimney, 
for  fear  of  some  accident,  and  came  back  into  this  room, 
where  everything  was  still.  The  melancholy  whistling 
was  not  repeated.  I  concluded  that  a  gust  of  wind  had 
come  in  through  some  open  joint  somewhere  in  the  wood- 
work, and  resumed  my  pipe,  and  the  papers  which  I  was 
examining  for  the  baron. 

"  This  business  was  a  rather  intricate  and  subtle  law 
question,  and  was  quite  interesting  to  me,  but  I  need  not 
trouble  you  Avith  it.  All  I  need  say  is,  that  it  involved  a 
certain  contract  for  the  sale  of  property  executed  some 
time  ago  by  Baron  Adelstan  ;  and  that  his  name,  as  well 
as  that  of  his  wife  Hilda  de  Blixen,  were  repeated  in 
almost  every  sentence  of  the  instrument.  The  names  of 
this  married  couple,  both  of  whom  died  in  the  flower  of 
their  age,  one  in  a  tragical  and  mysterious  manner,  and  the 
other  in  this  very  room,  and  probably  in  that  same  unfur- 
nished and  dilapidated  old  bed  in  the  opposite  corner,  may 
have  made  some  impression  upon  my  mind,  of  which  I  was 
not  conscious.  I  was  quite  absorbed  in  my  examination, 
and  the  fire  in  the  stove  was  roaring  well,  when  I  thought  I 
heard  a  creaking  on  the  staircase,  several  times  repeated. 


236  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

» 

I  was  quite  startled,  and  at  the  same  time  was  so  ashamed 
of  my  own  emotion,  that  I  would  not  even  turn  my  head 
round  to  see  what  it  was.  It  was  not  surprising  that  the 
damp  old  wood-Avork  was  beginning  to  feel  the  effects  of 
the  hot  fire  in  the  stove,  and  that  it  should  occasionally 
emit  these  unaccustomed  sounds. 

"I  went  on  with  my  reading  again;  but  now,  the 
creaking  of  the  steps  and  the  balustrade  was  followed 
by  a  different  sound,  not  unlike  the  rasping  of  an  iron 
tool  on  the  wall,  guided  by  a  hand  so  feeble  and  uncer- 
tain, that  it  might  easily  have  been  mistaken,  at  moments, 
for  the  scratching  of  a  rat  among  those  old  maps.  I 
looked  up,  but  seeing  nothing,  kept  on  with  my  work, 
for  I  would  not  permit  myself  to  be  disturbed  by  these 
unaccountable  noises,  peculiar  to  all  such  old  rooms,  and 
which  are  always  occasioned  in  the  simplest  manner.  It 
is  silly  to  be  searching  for  the  causes  of  such  things, 
when  one  has  more  important  business  to  attend  to. 

"  However,  a  third  and  still  a  different  sound  compelled 
me  to  turn  round  again,  and  look  once  more  at  the  stair- 
case. I  could  hear  the  large  parchment  map,  that  cov- 
ers the  built-up  door,  shaking  and  crackling  in  a  singular 
manner.  I  saw  it  rise  up  repeatedly  ;  it  shook  upon  the 
rings  by  which  it  hangs,  and  stood  out,  as  if  some 
body,  not  unlike  a  human  form,  was  moving  behind  it. 
For  the  moment,  I  was  startled  in  good  earnest.  It  was 
possible  that  some  thief  had  managed  to  secrete  himself 
there,  and  was  waiting  for  an  opportunity  to  spring  out 
upon  me.  I  jumped  up  hastily  to  take  my  sword  from 
the  chair,  where  I  had  laid  it  when  I  came  in,  but  it 
was  not  there." 

"For  a  sufficient  reason,  I  regret  to  say,"  observed 
Christian.  "  It  was  at  my  side." 

"  I  do  not  know,"  resumed  M.  Goefle,  "  whether  I 
concluded  that  Ulphilas,  with  unusual  neatness  and  solic- 
itude, had  put  away  the  weapon.  The  truth  is  that  I 
had  not  looked  in  my  portmanteau,  and  had  not  been  at 
all  uneasy  at  not  finding  my  clothes,  which  I  had  hung 
upon  the  back  of  the  arm-chair.  I  am  not  in  the  habit 
of  attending  to  such  matters  myself,  and  most  probably 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


237 


had  entirely  forgotten  having  placed  them  there.  Not  see- 
ing the  sword,  I  had  time  to  collect  myself  a  little,  and 
to  make  up  my  mind  that  I  was  unnecessarily  alarmed. 
Nobody  could  want  to  kill  me,  and  if  a  robber  had 
taken  a  fancy  to  my  purse,  the  wisest  course  would  be  to 
let  him  have  the  small  amount  it  contained  without  re- 
sistance. 

"So  I  returned,  and  advanced  towards  the  stairs, 
quite  coolly  and  resolutely,  I  give  you  my  word.  And 
exactly  at  this  moment  it  was  that  the  hallucination  took 
place.  There,  stay  a  moment,  Christian  !  Look  at  that 
portrait ;  to  the  right  of  the  window." 

"  I  have  already  tried  to  see  it,"  said  Christian,  "but 
the  light  is  so  bad  where  it  hangs,  and  the  flies  or  the 
damp  have  defaced  it  so  much,  that  I  could  hardly  make 
it  out  at  all." 

"  Well,  then,  take  a  light  and  look  at  it.  It  is  getting 
dark,  at  any  rate,  and  Avill  soon  be  time  to  light  up." 

Christian  lit  the  three-branched  candlestick  that  had 
been  left  on  the  table,  stood  up  on  a  chair,  and  with 
the  help  of  his  album,  which  he  held  between  his  eyes 
and  the  nickering  lights,  proceeded  to  examine  the  pic- 
ture carefully. 

"I  see  it  very  indistinctly  still,"  he  said.  "It  is  a 
portrait  of  a  rather  tall  woman,  elegantly  formed ;  she 
is  seated,  and  wears  a  black  veil,  as  is  the  custom  with 
Swedish  ladies  in  winter,  to  protect  their  eyes  from  the 
glare  of  the  snow.  I  can  see  her  hands,  which  are  very 
well  painted,  and  very  beautiful.  Ah  !  ah  !  the  dress  is 
pearl-gray  satin,  with  bows  of  black  velvet.  Is  it  the 
portrait  of  the  Gray  Lady?" 

"  Exactly.     It  is  the  Baroness  Hilda." 

"  Let  me  see  the  face,  then.  There,  I  catch  it  now  ; 
it  is  handsome  —  an  agreeable  and  sweet  countenance. 
Stay,  wait  a  moment,  M.  Goefle  !  That  face  inspires  me 
with  a  feeling  of  sympathy ;  it  moves  me." 

"So  you  don't  care  to  listen  to  my  story  any  longer?" 

"That's  all; — yes,  indeed  I  do.  I  am  pressed  for 
time,  and  yet  your  adventure  interests  me  so  much  that 
I  must  hear  the  end  of  it.  I'm  ready." 


238  THE   SNO  W  MAN. 

"Well,  then,"  continued  the  lawyer,  "as  my  eyes 
again  fell  upon  that  great  map  of  Sweden  which  is  now  so 
still,  a  human  figure  camq  out  from  under  it,  lifting  it 
aside  as  one  does  a  tapestry  curtain.  It  was  the  figure 
of  a  tall  and  thin  woman,  not  slender  and  beautiful,  as 
the  original  of  the  portrait  must  have  been,  but  livid 
and  wasted,  as  if  she  had  just  risen  from  the  tomb  ; 
and  the  gray  dress,  too,  soiled,  worn,  and  with  the  black 
ribbons  unfastened  and  hanging  loose,  seemed  to  be 
trailing  with  it  the  very,  earth  of  the  grave.  My  dear 
friend,  so  horrible,  so  frightful  was  this  painful  vision, 
that  I  closed  my  eyes  to  avoid  seeing  it.  When  I  opened 
them  again  —  but  whether  in  a  moment  or  in  a  second,  I 
cannot  say,  for  I  took  no  account  of  time  —  the  figure 
was  standing  upon  the  floor  directly  before  me.  She 
had  descended  the  stairs  —  I  had  heard  them  creaking 
again  —  and  was  staring  at  me  with  haggard  eyes,  and 
with  a  fixity  that  I  can  only  call  cadaverous  ;  so  totally 
was  it  devoid  of  thought,  interest,  or  even  life.  It  was 
really  a  corpse  standing  upright  there  within  two  steps 
of  me  !  As  for  me,  I  remained  motionless,  like  one  fas- 
cinated—  a  very  ugly-looking  object  myself,  probably  — 
and  with  my  hair  standing  up  on  my  head,  for  what  I 
know  —  " 

"Upon  my  word,"  said  Christian,  "a  disagreeable 
apparition  enough !  I  believe  if  I  had  been  in  your 
place,  I  should  certainly  have  sworn,  or  broken  some- 
thing !  Did  this  last  long?" 

"I  don't  know  ;  it  seemed  to  me  that  it  would  never 
end.  I  shut  my  eyes  again  to  lose  sight  of  it ;  and 
when  I  reopened  them,  the  spectre  was  moving  towards 
the  side  of  the  bed.  I  can  scarcely  describe  its  further 
movements.  It  seemed  as  if  it  were  opening  the  cur- 
tains, and  bending  down  to  speak  to  some  being  whom 
it  saw  there  —  invisible  save  to  those  ghastly  eyes.  Then 
it  turned  as  if  to  open  the  window ;  though  it  did  not 
really  open  it.  And  finally,  it  returned  towards  me. 
By  this  time  I  had  somewhat  recovered  myself,  and 
tried  to  make  a  deliberate  examination  of  the  face  ;  but 
this  was  more  than  I  could  do.  I  could  see  nothing  but 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


239 


those  great  dead  eyes — it  seemed  as  if  I  were  powerless 
to  remove  my  own  from  them.  Besides,  the  phantom 
now  passed  me  quickly.  If  it  noticed  me  at  all,  it  did 
not  seem  irritated  or  disturbed  by  my  presence.  It  flitted 
uncertainly  along  the  room  ;  tried  to  return  to  the  stairs, 
and  appeared  unable  to  find  them.  Then  the  fleshless 
hands  began  to  feel  aloug  the  Avails,  and  suddenly  it 
disappeared.  Again  a  rush  of  wind  ran  whistling  through 
the  room,  and  rang  in  my  ears  ;  it  ceased,  and  as,  during 
the  whole  of  this  experience,  I  had  been  perfectly  conscious 
of  being  in  my  right  mind,  I  perceived  at  once  the  ces- 
sation of  the  unaccustomed  sounds,  together  with  the 
disappearance  of  the  fantastic  image. 

"  I  felt  of  myself — there  was  no  doubt  as  to  my  iden- 
tity. I  pinched  my  hand,  and  felt  it  perfectly.  I  looked 
at  the  bottle  of  rum,  but  I  had  hardly  made  a  beginning 
upon  it.  Evidently  I  was  neither  in  a  trance  nor  intoxi- 
cated. -Indeed,  I  no  longer  felt  even  an  emotion  of 
terror,  and  very  coolly  said  to  myself  that  I  must  have 
been  asleep  standing.  I  finished  my  pipe  while  reflect- 
ing upon  the  affair,  and  even  indulged  my  imagination 
so  far  as  to  half  wish  to  undergo  another  such  hallucina- 
tion, so  that  I  might  try  to  overcome  it ;  but  the  phe- 
nomenon was  not  repeated,  and  I  went  very  quietly  to 
bed.  It  Avas  some  time  before  I  fell  asleep,  but  I  expe- 
rienced no  other  inconvenience." 

"  But  then,"  said  Christian,  "  what  should  have  made 
you  so  uncomfortable  just  now,  when  you  were  only 
thinking  the  matter  over?" 

"  Why,  because  the  mind  is  so  constituted,  I  suppose. 
There  are  emotional  reactions.  By  hearing  of  delusions, 
you  may  become  a  little  deluded  yourself.  Twice  al- 
ready, to-day,  I  have  recalled  stories  of  this  kind,  that 
are  certainly  either  fables  or  dreams,  and  yet  which  em- 
body great  and  mysterious  moral  truths." 

"How  is  that,  M.  Goefle?" 

"  Good  heavens  !  it  happened  to  my  own  father,  who, 
like  myself,  was  an  advocate  and  professor  of  law,  to  see 
the  ghost  of  a  man  who  had  been  unjustly  condemned  to 
death  more  than  ten  years  before,  and  who  called  upon 


240 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


him  for  justice  to  his  despoiled  children,  and  for  the  re- 
habilitation of  his  own  memory.  He  saw  this  spectre  at 
the  foot  of  a  gibbet  which  he  was  passing.  He  looked 
into  the  affair,  found  that  the  phantom  had  told  the  truth, 
instituted  proceedings,  and  gained  his  cause.  Doubtless 
the  ghost  was  an  illusion,  but  it  was  an  appeal  to  my  father's 
conscience.  Now,  whence  came  that  appeal  ?  From  the 
grave?  Certainly  not.  From  heaven?  Who  knows?" 

"  Well,  M.  Goefle,  what  do  you  conclude  as  to  the  ap- 
parition of  last  night  ?  " 

"  Nothing  at  all,  my  dear  friend,  but  I  am  none  the 
less  troubled,  every  little  while,  with  the  idea  that  the 
Baroness  Hilda  may  perhaps  have  been  the  victim  of  a 
calumny,  and  that  God  has  given  permission,  not  that  her 
soul  should  visit  me,  but  that  my  own  mind  should  be  so 
strongly  impressed  with  the  recollection  of  her,  as  to  bring 
her  image  before  my  eyes,  and  thus  influence  me  to  make 
researches  into  the  truth  of  the  matter." 

"But  what  was  the  charge  brought  against  this  famous 
baroness,  then  ?  " 

"  That  she  fabricated  an  audacious  falsehood,  with  the 
design  of  depriving  Baron  Olaus  of  his  rightful  in- 
heritance." 

"Will  you  please  tell  me  that  story,  too,  M.  Goefle? 
I  feel  extremely  curious  about  it,  since  you  have  seen  this 
spectre." 

"  Certainly,  I  intended  to  do  so  ;  and,  fortunately,  it  is 
not  long. 

"  Baron  Magnus  de  Waldemora,  who  was  com- 
monly called  '  the  great  iarl '  (though  '  iarl '  means  prop- 
erly 'count,'  the  term  is  very  commonly  applied  to.  all 
nobles  of  a  certain  rank  and  importance),  had  two  sons. 
The  elder,  Adelstan,  was  quick,  impetuous,  and  ardent 
in  disposition,  while  the  younger,  Olaus,  at  present  sur- 
named  the  Snow  Man,  was  mild,  affectionate,  and  stu- 
dious. They  were  both  tall,  handsome,  and  strong,  and 
together  were  their  father's  pride.  His  fortune  was  con- 
siderable —  an  unusual  advantage  in  our  country,  where 
the  wealth  of  the  nobility  was  immensely  diminished  by 
the  reduction  of  1630.  The  right  of  primogeniture  does 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


241 


not  prevail  with  us,  but  all  the  sons  inherit  equally. 
Still,  even  half  of  this  inheritance  was,  it  might  seem, 
enough  to  satisfy 'either  of  the  brothers,  and  if  there  was 
ever  a  young  man  who  appeared  incapable  of  jealousy  it 
was  Olaus  —  a  youth  of  calm  exterior,  inclined  to  quiet 
raillery,  for  whom  the  father  seemed  to  feel  a  sort  of  pref- 
erence, and  who  was  generally  more  liked  than  his  elder 
brother. 

"The  latter  was  of  a  noble  character,  but  his  frank- 
ness was  so  great  as  sometimes  to  verge  upon  rudeness. 
He  had  early  shown  an  active  disposition,  and  had  a  pas- 
sion for  travelling  aud  novelty.  At  thirty  he  had  already 
been  all  over  Europe,  and,  during  his  stay  in  France,  had 
acquired  certain  philosophical  views,  which  caused  great 
apprehensions  to. the  elder  members  of  his  family,  and 
even  to  his  father.  His  friends  wished  him  to  marry, 
and  he  agreed  to  do  so,  requiring  only  that  his  bride 
should  be  the  choice  of  his  heart.  Accordingly  he  mar- 
ried a  beautiful  young  lady  whom  he  had  known  in 
France,  the  Countess  Hilda  de  Blixen,  an  orphan  of  a 
noble  Danish  family,  who  had  no  other  dowry  than  her 
mental  attractions,  her  beauty,  and  her  virtue.  This  Avas 
a  great  deal,  you  Avould  say,  and  I  am  entirely  of  your 
opinion.  It  was  also  that  of  the  old  Baron  Magnus, 
who,  although  at  first  disposed  to  disapprove  of  the  con- 
nection as  a  mere  love-match,  soon  learned  to  love  and 
cherish  his  daughter-in-law. 

"  Some  assert  that  Olaus  was  disappointed  at  this  recon- 
ciliation, and  that  he  had  tried  to  make  a  quarrel  between 
his  father. and  Adelstau.  It  has  been  hinted,  moreover, 
that  Baron  Magnus,  who  was  a  strong  and  healthy  mau, 
died  in  a  very  sudden  manner.  Both  these  charges  are 
of  old  date,  and  absolutely  without  any  proof. 

"  What  is  certain,  however,  is,  that  from  the  time  of 
sharing  the  inheritance  there  existed  a  serious  misunder- 
standing between  the  two  brothers.  My  father  himself 
was  present  during  a  certain  discussion  about  the  prop- 
erty, when  Baron  Adelstan  spoke  in  the  bitterest  manner 
to  Olaus,  who  had  reproached  him  mildly  for  havingjived 
so  much  at  a  distance  from  his  family,  neglecting  his 


242 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


home  duties  and  responsibilities,  in  order  to  gratify  his 
taste  for  travelling. 

"  '  My  father,'  he  said,  '  never  knew  the  value  of  your 
hypocritical  affection.  Perhaps  he  understands  it  only  too 
well,  now  that  he  is  in  his  grave  ! ' 

"  The  bitterness  of  this  sarcasm,  and  the  moderation 
with  which  Olaus  received  it,  caused  my  father  to  express 
great  disapproval  of  the  frightful  suspicion  which  the  elder 
brother  hinted.  Adelstan  said  ne  more,  but  he  never  in- 
timated that  he  had  changed  his  opinion.  Many  utter- 
ances of  his  to  the  same  effect  are  remembered,  whose 
implications  have  remained  without  proof,  but  —  at  least 
as  far  as  some  persons  about  him  are  concerned  —  not 
without  weight. 

"  Baron  Magnus  had  not  laid  aside  any  such  sums  of 
money  as  would  admit  of  the  purchase  by  one  brother 
from  the  other  of  either  portion  of  the  real  estate,  and  the 
question  of  selling  the  lands  and  the  chateau  therefore 
came  up.  Olaus  refused  the  income  which  his  brother 
offered  to  settle  upon  him,  notwithstanding  that  the 
amount  was  larger  than  he  himself  offered  to  Adelstan 
in  case  the  lands  should  be  adjudged  to  him.  The  plan 
of  selling  had,  however,  to  be  given  up,  for  no  purchasers 
came  forward.  This  immense  chateau,  situated  in  a  re- 
mote region  on  the  confines  of  a  wilderness,  was  no  longer 
adapted  to  the  requirements  of  modern  society,  whose 
tendency  is  to  draw  people  to  the-  capital,  or  southern  prov- 
inces. My  father,  however,  succeeded  in  making  a  clear 
statement  of  the  whole  revenues  and  expenses  of  the  es- 
tate, and  on  this  basis  he  fixed  upon  a  proper- figure  for 
the  annuity  to  be  paid  to  the  one  brother,  by  whichever 
should  continue  in  possession  of  the  domain,  and  it  was 
agreed  to  cast  lots  for  the  choice.  The  result  was  in  favor 
of  the  elder  brother. 

"Olaus  showed  no  vexation,  but  it  is  asserted  that  he 
was,  in  fact,  extremely  chagrined,  and  that  he  lamented 
to  those  in  his  confidence  the  unjust  fate  which  drove 
away  from  the  heritage  of  his  fathers  a  person  like  him- 
self, accustomed  to  a  country  life,  and  fond  of  quiet,  in 
order  to  bestow  this  beautiful  residence  upon  an  incon- 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


243 


stant  and  restless  being  like  Adelstan.  By  such  com- 
plaints, by  the  friendly  familiarity  of  his  manners,  and  by 
liberal  gifts  bestowed  upon  the  numerous  retainers  of  the 
house,  he  formed  for  himself  a  party  of  adherents  who  soon 
threatened  to  impede  the  elder  brother  in  managing  his 
affairs,  and  even  in  maintaining  his  domestic  authority. 

"  My  father,  who  was  obliged  to  remain  here  some 
weeks,  while  concluding  the  settlement  of  the  estate,  per- 
ceived all  this,  but  he  had  grown  weary  of  these  constant 
family  dissensions,  and  probably  he  did  less  than  justice 
to  the  frank  and  loyal  character  of  the  elder  brother.  He 
seems  to  have  been  very  much  influenced  by  the  plaus- 
ible manners  and  apparent  goodness  of  heart  of  Olans, 
and,  except  where  questions  of  equity  were  concerned,  in 
which  case  my  father  was  rigorously  impartial,  the  younger 
brother  was  his  favorite.  My  father  went  away  after 
having  endeavored  to  arrange  for  the  residence  of  both 
brothers  at  the  chateau.  Olaus  was  anxious  to  retain  at 
least  a  foothold  at  Stollborg,  but  Adelstan  refused  to  allow 
him  this  privilege,  with  a  firmness  that  seemed  somewhat 
harsh. 

"  As  soon  as  Olaus  left  for  Stockholm,  where  he  pro- 
posed to  establish  himself,  Adelstan  sent  for  his  wife, 
who,  during  these  discussions  about  the  property,  had 
been  residing  with  a  friend  at  Falun,  together  with  her 
young  son,  then  only  a  few  months  old,  and  the  young 
couple  went  to  housekeeping  at  Waldemora.  And 
now  it  was,  after  many  suspicions  and  much  gossiping 
talk,  that  a  secret  was  discovered  —  or  so  it  was  stated 
—  which  the  young  people  had  hitherto  concealed  from 
the  public.  Baroness  ^Hilda  was  said  to  be  a  Catholic. 
She  had  been  brought  up  in  France,  and  there  —  accord- 
ing to  the  stories  in  circulation  —  in  compliance  with  the 
wishes  of  an  aunt  and  the  circle  of  her  friends,  had  im- 
prudently devoted  herself  to  theological  studies,  and 
had  been  le'd  away  by  the  pride  of  knowledge  to  abjure 
the  religion  of  her  fathers,  which  she  was  taught  to 
believe  was  of  too  recent  date.  It  was  even  said  that 
false  miracles  had  been  employed,  so  as  to  extort  from 
her  imprudent  vows.  On  these  points  I  can  give  you  no 


244 


THE   SNO  W  MAN. 


information  of  any  kind.  I  might  have  been  acquainted 
with  the  baroness,  but  no  opportunity  occurred  of  bringing 
us  together,  and  we  never  met.  She  is  said  to  have 
been  very  intelligent,  and  thoroughly  educated.  It  is 
quite  possible  that  she  may  have  changed  her  religion 
from  conscientious  motives  and  intellectual  conviction  ; 
and,  for  my  part,  I  acquit  her  on  this  charge  with  a 
great  deal  of  philosophy.  Unfortunately,  the  public 
could  not  be  brought  to  do  this.  In  Sweden,  there  is 
a  very  strong  attachment  to  the  established  religion,  and 
the  dissenters  are  so  few  that  they  are  at  once  marked 
out  from  the  rest  of  the  community..  They  are  fre- 
quently rebuked,  and  even  persecuted  ;  not  so  cruelly  as 
in  less  enlightened  times,  but  with  sufficient  harshness  to 
render  their  lives  painful  and  miserable.  The  law  even 
admits  of  their  being  exiled. 

"A  terrific  scandal  therefore  arose,  when  it  was  dis- 
covered, or  was  supposed  to  be  so,  that  the  baroness, 
who  had  always  been  rather  lax  in  her  attendance  at 
the  parish  church,  had  secretly  erected  a  chapel  to  the 
Virgin  Mary  in  this  very  old  donjon  ;  where,  unable  to 
command  the  services  of  a  priest  of  her  religion,  she 
was  in  the  habit  of  offering  up  special  and  private 
prayers  of  her  own.  This  secret  worship  the  peasants 
regarded  as  little  better  than  sorcery.  However,  as  the 
baroness  did  not  attempt  to  make  proselytes,  and  never 
spoke  of  her  religion,  the  matter  was  gradually  hushed 
up.  She  did  a  great  deal  of  good,  and  her  lovely  char- 
acter overcame  many  prejudices. 

"  The  young  couple  had  now  been  established  at  W*il- 
demora  for  about  three  years,  witfe  their  one  son,  whom 
they  idolized.  The  sweet  temper  of  the  baroness  had 
modified  the  slight  harshness  of  her  husband's  dispo- 
sition, which  arose  from  his  uncompromising  indepen- 
dence and  integrity  of  character.  They  were  beloved 
and  appreciated ;  and  both  the  retainers  of  the  family 
and  the  neighbors  were  beginning  to  forget  all  about 
Olaus,  notwithstanding  the  letters  that  he  frequently 
wrote,  so  as  to  have  the  pleasure  of  signing  himself 
'  The  poor  exile ! '  Pastor  Mickelson,  the  minister  of 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


245 


the  parish,  whose  church  you  probably  saw  about  half 
a  league  from  here,  was  Olaus's  most  faithful  adherent. 
Olaus  had  always  made  a  great  display  of  piety  ;  while 
Adelstan's  toleration  was  excessively  vexatious  to  the 
pastor,  who  was  somewhat  fanatical  in  his  Lutheranism. 
The  baron,  moreover,  had  exerted  his  influence  to  have 
a  certain  ceremony  of  the  divine  service  discontinued  : 
namely,  the  employment  of  a  certain  staif  which  the 
beadle  used  in  his  official  duty  of  awakening  those  who 
fell  asleep  during  the  sermon.  The  question  was  brought 
before  the  bishop,  who  decided  upon  a  compromise ; 
the  beadle  was  to  be  allowed  to  tickle  the  noses  of  the 
sleepers  with  a  switch,  but  not  to  rap  them  over  the 
head  with  the  stick.  The  pastor  never  forgave  Baron 
Adelstan  for  this  assault  upon  his  authority,  and  still 
less  the  young  baroness,  who  was  said  to  have  laughed 
at  this  Dalecarlian  method  of  enforcing  devotion  by 
blows  with  a  staff.  He  never  ceased  annoying  the  young 
iarl  and  his  wife,  and  was  always  stirring  up  against 
them  the  country  people  ;  themselves  very  piyme  to  relig- 
ious intolerance. 

"In  the  meanwhile,  the  young  couple  persevered  in 
trying  to  promote  improvements  on  their  estate.  The 
baron  was  severe  in  dealing  with  abuses,  and  drove  off 
without  pity  all  persons  of  disreputable  character ;  he 
also  put  an  end  to  the  shameful  practice  of  inflicting 
stripes  on  servants,  and  to  the  humiliating  relics  of  the 
past  serfage  of  the  country  people.  The  Dalecarlian 
peasant  is  usually  well  disposed,  but  he  is  as  far  as  pos- 
sible from  being  a  friend  of  progress.  Many,  of  them 
were  loath  to  part  with  the  old  abuses,  and  found  it  dif- 
ficult to  reconcile  themselves  to  asserting  their  personal 
dignity. 

"One  day  —  truly  a  most  unhappy  day  —  the  baron 
was  obliged  to  go  to  Stockholm  on  business  ;  and  as  it 
was  the  time  of  the  autumn  rains,  which  made  travelling 
difficult,  and  often  impracticable,  he  was  obliged  to 
leave  his  wife  behind  at  the  chateau.  As  he  was  re- 
turning to  his  home  in  about  a  fortnight  from  this  time, 
Baron  Adelstan  was  assassinated  in  the  gorges  of  Falun. 


246  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

He  had  travelled  on  horseback  ;  and,  in  his  impatience  to 
!-ee  his  beloved  Hilda,  had  ridden  on  in  advance,  leaving 
his  people  to  finish  a  meal  which  seemed  to  him  rather 
too  protracted.  He  was  then  thirty-three  years  old,  and 
his  widow  twenty-four. 

"This  murder  made  a  great  excitement,  and  astounded 
the  .whole  country.  In  many  districts  the  Dalecarlians 
ar.e  fierce  and  passionate,  and  among  these  mountains 
the  Norwegian  duel,  with  knives,  is  still  in  vogue,  but 
such  a  thing  as  a  cowardly  and  secret  assassination  is 
almost  unexampled.  The  people  in  the  vicinity  did  not 
venture  to  accuse  any  one,  and  indeed  they  had  no 
grounds  for  doing  so.  Certain  foreign  miners  disap- 
peared suddenly  from  Falun,  -but  they  could  not  be 
traced.  Baron  Adelstan  had  not  been  robbed,  and  there 
was  but  one  person  in  the  world  for  whose  interest  it 
was  to  get  rid  of  him.  Some  whispered  cautiously  the 
name  of  Baron  Olaus  ;  but  the  majority  rejected  such  a 
suspicion  with  horror,  and  my  father  first  of  all. 

"  Baron  plans  appeared  overwhelmed  with  despair  at 
his  brother's  death.  He  hastened  into  the  country, 
weeping  and  lamenting  rather  too  ostentatiously,  per- 
haps, and  testifying  the  most  disinterested  devotion  to 
his  sister-in-law.  Every  one  was  very  much  edified  by 
his  conduct,  except  the  baroness  herself,  who  received 
him  with  extreme  coldness,  and,  after  several  hours, 
requested  hini  to  leave  her  alone  with  her  grief;  for 
which  she  could  not  be  consoled.  The  baron  accord- 
ingly left,  to  the  great  regret  of  the  retainers  of  the 
family,  whom  he  had  quite  overpowered  with  gifts  and 
kindness.  On  the  very  evening  of  his  departure,  little 
Harold,  the  son  of  the  baroness,  was  taken  with  con- 
vulsions, and  died  before  morning. 

"  Driven  quite  to  despair  by  this  final  blow,  the  un- 
happy mother  lost  all  prudence,  and  loudly  accused 
Olaus  of 'having  first  caused  the  assassination  of  her 
husband,  and  then  of  poisoning  her  child,  so  as  to  get 
possession  of  their  fortune.  But  her  cries  were  unan- 
swered—  they  did  not  even  reach  the  outer  world. 
There  was  no  skilful  physician  within  reach,  to  verify 


THE  SNOW  MAN.  247 

the  nature  of  the  child's  death,  and  none  of  her  domes- 
tics chose  to  run  the  risk  of  seeking  for  proofs  against 
Baron  Olaus.  Pastor  Mickelson,  who  practised  as  a 
physician  in  his  parish,  declared  that  Harold  had  died 
as  children  often  do,  from  the  effects  of  teething,  and 
that  the  poor  baroness  was  unjust  and  insane  ;  which, 
unfortunately,  was  very  possible. 

"Baron  Glaus  had  not  gone  far  when  word  reached 
him  of  his  nephew's  death;  upon  which  he  at  once 
returned,  apparently  as  full  of  grief  as  the  baroness 
herself.  She,  however,  overwhelmed  him  with  maledic- 
tions, to  which  he  only  replied  by  sad  and  heart-rending 
smiles.  Every  one  lamented  her  misfortunes ;  as  a 
widow,  a  mother,  even  as  an  insane  person,  she  was  a 
worthy  object  of  compassion  ;  but  no  one  thought  of  accus- 
ing the  generous,  the  patient,  the  sensible  Olaus.  Per- 
haps he  was  thought  even  more  to  be  pitied  than  she,  as 
being  doomed  to  endure  suspicions  so  outrageous.  He 
was  admired,  moreover,  for  not  allowing  himself  to  be 
irritated  ;  his  very  complaints  were  uttered  in  a  tone  full 
of  tenderness,  and  he  begged  Hilda  to  continue  to  reside 
at  the  chateau,  and  to  live  with  him  as  a  sister  with  a 
brother.  For  my  part,  I  am  quite  convinced  that  the 
baron  is  a  great  knave,  and  that  he  did  not  regret  his 
nephew's  death,  and  yet  I  am  far  from  considering  him 
an  actual  monster ;  he  has  never  seemed  to  me  to  be 
a  man  of  sufficient  boldness  to  commit  great  crimes. 
The  baroness  had  suffered  too  much,  and  was  in  a  state 
of  too  much  mental  excitement  to  be  able  to  judge  coolly. 
She  charged  him  with  having  killed  father,  brother,  and 
nephew  ;  and  all  at  once  she  formed  a  singular  resolu- 
tion, which  I  think  was  an  act  of  vengeance  and  despair, 
and  altogether  an  ill-judged  measure. 

"  She  called  together  the  magistrates  and  civic  author- 
ities of  the  province,  and  declared  to  them,  in  presence 
of  all  her  own  household,  that  she  was  pregnant,  and  that 
she  intended  to  maintain  all  the  hereditary  rights  of  the 
child  whose  natural  guardian  she  was.  She  made  this 
declaration  with  great  energy,  and  announced  that  she 
should  proceed  to  Stockholm,  in  order  to  have  her  condi- 


248  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

tion  fully  authenticated,  and  to  ascertain  her  legal  rights 
until  the  birth  of  her  child. 

"  Baron  Olaus  listened  to  this  declaration  with  great 
calmness,  and  replied,  in  substance,  thus : 

"  '  It  is  perfectly  unnecessary  to  expose  yours.elf  to  the 
fatigues  and  risks  of  this  journey.  The  hope  that  my 
dear  brother's  lineage  will  be  revived  fills  me  with  satis- 
faction, nor  will  I  consent  to  a  renewal  of  any  controver- 
sies. It  is  evident  that  my  presence  annoys  and  irritates 
you,  and  never  shall  it  be  said  that  the  disturbed  state  of 
your  mind  Avas  aggravated  by  any  voluntary  act  of  mine. 
I  will  myself  withdraw,  therefore,  and  will  not  return  here 
until  after  the  birth  of  your  child  — •  always  supposing 
that  you  are  not  deceived  as  to  your  condition.' 

"  Olaus  did,  in  fact,  depart,  saying  to  everybody  that 
he  did  not  believe  a  word  of  this  story  of  pregnancy,  but 
that  he  was  in  no  haste  to  enter  into  his  inheritance. 

"  'For  the  sake  of  propriety,  and  in  consideration  of 
my  sister-iu-laAv's  unhappy  state  of  excitement,'  he  added, 
'  I  prefer  to  wait,  and  dan  very  well  afford  to  do  so  for  a 
year,  if  necessary,  so  that  the  truth  may  be  established.' 

"  These  were  the  views  he  expressed  to  my  father  at 
Stockholm,  whither  he  now  immediately  returned,  and 
my  father,  I  remember,  blamed  him  for  being  too  con- 
fiding, and  over-delicate.  He  thought  Baroness  Hilda 
had  invented  this  posthumous  child,  and  intimated  that  it 
would  not  be  the  first  time  that  a  widow  had  brought  for- 
ward a  supposititious  heir  so  as  to  despoil  the  rightful 
inheritor.  The  baron,  however,  replied  with  infinite 
mildness : 

"  '  What  would  you  have  me  do?  I  am  tired  of  the 
hateful  suspicions  which  this  exasperated  woman  is  trying 
to  fasten  upon  me,  and  can  best  refute  them  by  proving  the 
disinterestedness  of  my  own  conduct.  And  furthermore, 
to  provide  against  being  pursued  by  her  hatred  even  here, 
I  think  it  will  be  best  for  me  to  travel  until  my  affairs 
can  be  settled.' 

"  Shortly  after  this  Baron  Olaus  went  to  Russia,  where 
he  was  received  by  the  czarina  with  much  attention,  and 
where  he  began  to  construct  that  web  of  intrigues  whose 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


249 


result  has  been  to  make  him  one  of  the  most  tenacious 
and  dangerous  of  the  cap-party  of  the  Diet.  It  has  been 
asserted  that  his  character  developed  very  rapidly  during 
his  stay  at  the  Russian  court,  and  that,  at  his  return,  he 
had  acquired  such  views,  manners,  and  principles,  as  caused 
him,  from  that  time,  to  appear  totally  changed.  He  was 
still  always  tranquil  and  smiling,  but  there  was  something 
terrible  in  his  tranquillity,  something  sinister  in  his  smile. 
He  was  still  friendly  and  caressing  in  his  manner  to  in- 
feriors, but  his  friendliness  was  contemptuous,  and  his 
caresses  the  soft  touch  of  the  covered  claw.  In  short,  he 
was  precisely  what  he  is  to-day  —  except  so  far  as  ad- 
vancing years  and  ill-health  have  intensified  his  more 
gloomy  traits  —  a  problematic  being,  who  is  either  the 
most  consummate  of  villains  or  the  victim  of  a  most 
strange  combination  of  terrible  circumstances.  He  now 
entered  upon  a  career  of  intrigue  and  crime,  which  the 
czarina  has  shown  great  skill  in  turning  to  her  own  ad- 
vantage, and  of  which  the  virtuous  baron  himself  was 
very  soon  heard  to  speak  with  complaisant  admiration  ; 
and  it  was  at  this  time  that  he  began  to  be  called  '  The 
Snow  Man,'  either  to  signify  that  his  heart  had  been  frozen 
during  his  residence  in  Russia,  or  that  his  reputation  had, 
as  it  were,  thawed  in  the- clearer  and  warmer  sunshine 
of  his  own  country.  The  surname  was  made  the  more 
appropriate  by  his  physical  characteristics,  for,  in  the 
course  of  time,  a  livid  paleness  became  the  habitual  color 
of  his  face,  his  hair  turned  prematurely  gray,  his  carriage 
was  stiff,  and  his  bloated  hands  were  invariably  as  cold  as 
death. 

"  But  I  must  not  anticipate.  This  change  in  the  baron, 
which  was,  perhaps,  only  the  effect  of  an  exhausting  strug- 
gle against  unjust  suspicions,  did  not  become  thus  striking 
until  after  the  death  or  disappearaoce  of  all  the  persons 
whose  existence  might  have  been  disadvantageous  to  him. 
While  still  in  Russia  he  caused  it  to  be  reported  in  Sweden 
that  he  was  mortally  ill,  and  it  was  believed  by  many  that, 
this  was  one  of  the  first  proofs  of  his  accomplishments  as 
an  intriguer.  This  report  was  said  to  be  totally  unfounded  ; 
und  when  it  was  afterwards  asked  what  reason  he  could 


250 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


have  had  for  the  strange  whim  of  declaring  that  he  was 
dying  at  St.  Petersburg,  his  enemies  alleged  that  it  was 
to  relieve  Baroness  Hilda  from  her  fear  of  him,  and  thus 
prevent  her  from  coming  to  have  her  child  born  at 
Stockholm.  Unfortunately  —  lam  stating  the  views  of 
the  enemies  of  Olaus — the  baroness  fell  into  this  snare. 
She  remained  at  Waldemora  during  the  summer,  and, 
when  her  pregnancy  was  so  far  advanced  that  it  was  im- 
possible for  her  to  travel  (she  had  become  quite  feeble  in 
consequence  of  her  many  afflictions),  Baron  Olaus  sud- 
denly reappeared,  as  well  and  active  as  ever,  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  the  chateau. 

"  There,  Christian,  that  is  all  I  can  tell  you  of  the  story 
as  it  is  generally  current.  The  sequel  is  a  secret  history. 
What  the  facts  are,  can  only  be  conjectured  or  imagined, 
until  the  proofs  shall  be  discovered,  if  any  such  exist,  and 
shall  ever  come  to  light. 

"  The  barouess  was  so  frightened  at  learning  that  the 
baron  was  staying  at  Pastor  Mickelson's,  that  she  re- 
solved to  shut  herself  up  in  the  old  chateau,  which  was 
so  very  limited  in  extent  —  for  the  new  gaard  had  not 
then  been  built  —  that  it  could  easily  be  defended  by  a 
small  number  of  faithful  servants.  At  the  head  of  these 
were  Adam  Stenson,  already  grown  old  in  the  service  at 
the  chateau,  and  a  confidential  female  attendant,  whose 
name  I  have  forgotten. 

"  Now,  what  took  place  after  that?  It  has  been  said 
that  the  baron  succeeded  in  corrupting  all  the  guardians 
of  Stollborg,  even  the  confidential  waiting-woman  and 
the  incorruptible  Stenson.  But  I  would  risk  my  right 
hand  on  the  faith  of  Stenson ;  and,  indeed,  the  continued 
good  understanding  between  this  excellent  man  and  the 
baron,  is  to  me  almost  conclusive  proof  of  the  innocence 
of  the  latter.  There  are  two  versions  of  the  conclusion 
of  this  tragedy :  one  is  that  the  baron  imprisoned  his 
sister-in-law  so  closely,  and  made  her  so  unhappy  in  Stoll- 
borg, that  she  actually  died  of  sorrow  and  chagrin ;  the 
other  is,  that  she  was  already  insane  when  she  took  up  her 
abode  there,  that  she  soon  became  liable  to  dreadful 
fits  of  mania,  and  died  amidst  transports  of  impious 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


251 


fury,  cursing  the  evangelical  religion,  and  proclaiming  the 
kingdom  of  Satan. 

"  Amid  all  these  varying  rumors  there  is,  however,  one 
fact  certain,  and  that  is  that  her  pregnancy  was  a  simu- 
lated one.  Ten  months  after  her  husband's  death,  in  the 
last  days  of  the  year  1746,  the  baroness  died  at  Stollborg, 
where  she  had  been  living  for  three  months  in  a  state  of 
bodily  languor  and  mental  disorder.  On  her  death-bed, 
she  formally  acknowledged  to  Pastor  Mickelson  and  the 
baron,  that  she  had  not  been  pregnant,  but  had  intended 
to  bring  forward  a  counterfeit  child,  who  was  to  have  been 
a  boy,  in  order  to  retain  the  control  of  her  husband's  prop- 
erty, and  to  gratify  her  hatred  of  Baron  Olaus.  There 
is  still  a  third  version,  which  I  really  only  mention  with 
reluctance.  It  is  that  the  baroness  actually  died  of  star- 
vation in  this  donjon,  but  this  Stenson  has  always  emphat- 
ically denied.  Whatever  the  facts  are,  the  last  moments 
of  Hilda  are  enveloped  in  mystery.  None  of  her  own 
relatives  were  living,  and  her  husband's  family,  frightened 
at  the  reports  that  prevailed  about  her  religious  opinions, 
shut  their  eyes  to  the  whole  business,  and  did  not  move 
in  her  behalf.  They  had,  in  fact,  always  liked  the  com- 
pliant Olaus,  who  flattered  their  prejudices,  better  than 
the  high-spirited  Adelstan,  who  was  constantly  offending 
them.  It  is  said  that  this  story  came  to  the  ears  of  the 
king,  and  that  he  had  meant  to  investigate  it,  but  that  the 
senate,  in  which  Olaus  had  powerful  friends,  requested  his 
majesty  to  attend  to  his  own  business  —  that  is,  to  attend 
to  nothing  at  all. 

"  My  father  was  in  very  ill-health  when  Baron  Olaus 
came  to  tell  him  his  own  version  of  his  sister-in-law's 
death.  For  the  first  time  my  father  manifested  some  sur- 
prise, and  even  a  disposition  to- blame  the  baron.  He  told 
him  he  had  done  wrong  to  expose  himself  to  such  grave 
suspicions,  and  that  if  proceedings  should  be  commenced 
against  him  his  defence  would  be  difficult.  The  baron, 
on  this,  showed  him  the  declaration  of  Pastor  Mickelson, 
in-  his  double  capacity  of  clergyman  and  physician,  iu 
which  he  testified  to  the  feigned  pregnancy  of  the  baron- 
ess, and  to  her  death,  in  consequence  of  an  illness  of 


252 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


which  he  had  made  a  careful  diagnosis,  and  had  treated 
in  a  skilful  and  judicious  manner,  as  all  the  physicians 
who  had  since  been  consulted  on  the  subject  had  agreed. 
Moreover,  lie  produced  the  declaration  of  the  baroness, 
signed  by  her  own  hand,  affirming  that  she  had  made  a 
false  representation  of  her  condition.  This  paper  my 
father  examined  rigorously,  and  even  caused  it  to  be  scru- 
tinized by  experts  in  handwriting,  but  he  found  it  impreg- 
nable. Still,  I  remember  that  he  blamed  the  baron  for 
not  having  called  in  ten 'physicians,  instead  of  one  only, 
for  authenticating  the  facts  for  his  own  defence  in  so 
weighty  a  matter.  But  he  never  suspected  him  of  any 
crime  or  imposture,  and  in  this  belief  he  died,  a  short 
time  afterwards. 

"  After  a  time,  murmurs  were  heard  against  the  baron, 
whose  conduct  began  to  make  him  hated,  but  he  very 
soon  made  himself  feared  also  ;  there  was  no  one  whose 
direct  interest  it  was  to  avenge  his  supposed  victims,  and 
no  one  came  forward  generous  and  bold  enough  to  defy 
him.  I  myself  would  have  done  this,  although  then 
young  'at  the  bar,  as  I  should  be  ready  to  do  this  moment 
if  my  suspicions  were  sufficiently  aroused.  But  I  was 
naturally  influenced  by  my  father's  opinion,  and  he  had 
never  gone  further  than  to  find  fault  with  Olaus  for  not 
being  prudent  enough  in  his  own  behalf.  Besides,  my 
father's  death  took  place  just  about  that  time,  and  you  can 
readily  imagine  that  my  sorrow,  which  was  very  keen, 
diverted  my  mind  from  other  objects. 

'•  I  inherited  the  management  of  the  baron's  law  busi- 
ness, aud,  as  I  have  said,  notwithstanding  the  increasing 
dislike  with  which  his  political  conduct  and  his  personal 
manners  have  inspired  me,  I  have  never  from  that  day  to 
this  been  able  to  find  the  least  proof  of  the  crimes  with 
which  he  is  chai'ged,  or  even  to  get  hold  of  any  probable 
or  reliable  evidence  ou  the  subject.  Among  his  tenantry 
and  retainers  there  has  been  a  reaction  in  opinion  about 
him,  as  might  well  have  been  expected  ;  for  as  soon  as  lie 
no  longer  needed  their  sympathy,  he  took  no  further  pams 
to  make  himself  popular.  His  domestics  are  all  strangers, 
persons  whom  he  substituted  for  tiie  old  servants  immedi- 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


253 


ately  upon  taking  possession  of  the  estate,  and  he  pays 
them  in  a  manner  to  secure  from  them  blind  obedience 
and  absolute  discretion.  Stenson  is  the  only  one  of  the 
old  household  whom  he  has  retained ;  he  employed  him 
for  a  long  time  as  steward,  but  at  last  allowed  him  to  re- 
tire, on  account  of  his  great  age.  He  provides  him  with 
a  suitable  retreat,  an  honorable  pension,  and  has  always 
treated  him  with  great  respect,  and  even  with  marked 
friendliness.  This  has  been  supposed  to  indicate  that 
Stenson  was  his  accomplice  ;  but,  Christian,  it  is  this 
very  fact  that  satisfies  me  as  to  the  truth  of  the  matter, 
and  which  makes  my  own  conscience  easy  ;  for  Stenson  is 
actually  a  holy  man,  a  model  of  all  the  Christian  virtues." 


VIII. 

/CHRISTIAN  had  listened  attentively  to  the  lawyer's 
^•^  narrative,  and,  after  a  few  moments'  reflection,  he 
observed : 

"  There  is  a  great  deal  in  this  history  that  seems  to  me 
extremely  ambiguous.  I  feel  sorry  for  that  poor  Baron- 
ess Hilda ;  of  all  the  persons  of  this  drama,  she  is  the 
one  who  interests  me  the  most.  Who  knows  whether 
she  did  not  really  die  of  starvation  in  this  horrible  cham- 
ber, as  so  many  believe." 

"Ah  !  that  is  entirely  out  of  the  question  !  "  cried  M. 
Goefle.  "  The  idea  really  tormented  me,  so  much  has 
been  said  about  it ;  but  Stensou,  who  assuredly  would 
never  have  allowed  such  a  thing  to  happen,  gave  me  his 
word  of  honor  that  he  had  served  and  waited  upon  the 
baroness  to  the  last,  and  was  with  her  during  her  last 
moments.  She  did  really  die  of  inanition,  but  it  was 
because- her  stomach  refused  to  retain  food.  The  baron 
spared  no  pains  to  furnish  her  with  whatever  she  desired." 

"  No  doubt,"  replied  Christian  ;  "  if  he  is  as  adroit  as 
your  story  indicates,  he  would  be  unlikely  to  commit  a 
useless  murder.  All  that  he  needed  was  to  kill  the  poor 
lady  with  fear  or  grief.  But  there  is  still  another  expla- 
nation, M.  Goefle  ;  my  own  version  !  " 


254 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


"What  is  that?". 

"  That  she  is  not  dead." 

"That  is  impossible.  And  still,  no  one  ever  knew 
what  was  done  with  her  body." 

"  There  —  you  see  ! " 

"  The  pastor  refused  it  burial  in  the  parish  cemetery. 
There  is  no  Catholic  cemetery  here,  and  it  would  seem 
that  she  must  have  been  buried-  by  night  in  Stenson's 
orchard,  or  elsewhere." 

"Why,  did  Stenson  never  tell  you?" 

"  Stenson  will  not  be  questioned  on  this  point.  The 
memory  of  the  baroness  is  at  once  dear  and  awful  to  him. 
He  loved  her  sincerely,  and  served  her  zealously  ;  but  he 
refuses  to  say  anything  about  her  religious  belief,  what- 
ever it  may  have  been,  and  it  both  terrifies  and  distresses 
him  to  have  the  subject  even  referred  to." 

"  Very  well ;  but  what  does  he  say  of  the  baron?" 

"Nothing." 

"That  perhaps  is  saying  a  great  deal." 

"Very  true;  but  still,  silence  is  not  a  charge  of 
murder." 

"Then  we  need  discuss  it  no  further,  if  you  are  satis- 
fied, M.  Goefle.  And  after  all,  what  does  it  matter  to 
us?  The  past  is  past.  Only,  you  said  that  the  sight  of 
that  spectre  had  filled  your  mind  with  strange  doubts." 

"  That  was  only  because  it  is  a  weakness  of  our  profes- 
sion to  turn  everything  into  a  subject  of  investigation  — 
though  I  have  always  tried  to  guard  myself  against  it. 
We  have  enough  to  do  to  arrive  at  the  facts  of  the  dif- 
ferent cases  with  which  we  are  intrusted,  without  volun- 
teering to  batter  our  brains  over  those  that  do  not 
concern  us.  Beyond  a  doubt,  it  is  because  I  have  been 
idle  for  a  few  days  that  my  mind  keeps  at  work  in  spite 
of  myself,  and  that  I  have  summoned  up  from  the  shades 
of  the  forgotten  past,  the  form  of  the  Baroness  Hilda — " 

"Particularly,"  said  Christian,  "as  the  being  who 
appeared  to  you  was  not  perhaps  a  vision,  but  quite 
simply  some  living  person,  whose  costume  happened  to 
be  like  that  of  the  old  picture." 

"  I  should  be  glad  to  think  so,  but  people  who  pass 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


255 


through  walls  are  none  other  than  the  sad  inhabitants 
of  the  land  of  gloomy  imaginations." 

"Wait  a  moment,  M.  Goefle;  you  saw  the  phantom 
enter ;  but  you  have  not  told  me  which  way  it  disap- 
peared." 

"I  could  not,  since  I  do  not  know.  I  should  say  on 
the  same  side  where  it  came  in." 

"  By  the  secret  door,  then." 

"Is  there  one?" 

"Did  you  not  know  it?" 

"No,  I  did  not,  really." 

"  Well,  then,  come  and  see  it." 

Christian  took  the  candle  and  lighted  M.  Goefle  to  the 
spot ;  but  the  secret  door  was  shut  from  the  outside.  It 
was  so  accurately  fitted  into  the  wood-work  that  it  was 
impossible  to  distinguish  it  from  the  other  panels,  which 
were  all  ornamented  with  a  similar  raised  moulding, 
and  so  thick  that  it  gave  back  the  same  dull  sound  as 
the  rest  of  the  oak  wainscot.  Besides,  it  was  strongly 
fastened  behind  by  the  large  bolts  that  Christian  had 
noticed  the  evening  before.  He  had  left  them  unfast- 
ened, but  they  had  now  been  bolted,  probably  by  the 
same  hand  that  had  padlocked  the  outer  door  at  the  foot 
of  the  secret  staircase.  Christian  mentioned  all  this 
to  M.  Goefle,  who  was  obliged  to  take  his  word  for  it, 
as  he  had  no  means  of  going  to  certify  the  facts. 

"Believe  me,  M.  Goefle,"  said  Christian,  "either 
some  old  servant  of  M.  Stenson's  came  in  here  yesterday 
to  put  the  room  in  order,  without  knowing  that  it  had 
been  invaded,  or  the  Baroness  Hilda  is  kept  a  prisoner 
somewhere  in  the  building,  either  under  our  feet  or  over 
our  heads  ;  in  the  walled-up  rooms  above,  for  aught  that 
I  know.  And  by  the  way,  how  about  that  built-up 
door  —  you  did  not  tell  me  where  it  led  to,  nor  why  it 
was  closed.  And  yet  that  seems  to  me  a  rather  inter- 
esting circumstance." 

"A  very  ordinary  one.  Stenson  told  me  all  about  it. 
The  room  over  this  was  for  a  long  time  completely  out 
of  repair.  When  the  Baroness  Hilda  took  refuge  at 
Stollborg,  she  had  the  door  closed  up  because  it  let  in 


256  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

the  wind  and  the  cold.  After  her  death,  Stensou  had 
it  opened,  to  make  repairs  in  the  masonry  of  the  upper 
part  of  the  building.  But  as  it  would  have  cost  more 
than  it  was  worth  to  make  the  place  habitable,  and  as 
nobody  would  have  ventured  to  occupy  rooms  that  were 
regarded  as  the  devil's  very  head-quarters,  on  account  of 
the  Catholic  chapel  that  was  supposed  to  have  been 
erected  there,  Stenson,  with  the  baron's  permission  —  as 
he  himself  told  me  —  built  it  up  solid  again  with  his  own 
hands.  He  did  this  both  out  of  economy  —  there  being 
no  further  use  for  the  door  —  and  to  put  a  stop  to  the 
superstitious  stories  in  circulation  about  the  old  building." 

"Still,  M.  Goefle,  you  saw  the  supposed  phantom 
come  out  from  behind-  the  map  of  Sweden  that  covers 
that  masonry  ?  " 

"Oh,  that  was  only  a  dream!  Go  and  look,  Chris- 
tian. You  will  be  more  successful  than  I  was,  if  you 
can  find  a  practicable  door  there.  Do  you  think  I  did 
not  go  and  examine  the  place  as  soon  as  the  vision  dis- 
appeared ?  " 

"Of  course,"  said  Christian,  who  had  already  ascended 
the  stairs,  raised  the  map  of  Sweden,  and  was  rapping 
at  different  parts  of  the  Avail  beneath  it.  "  There's  noth- 
ing here  but  a  wall  as  thick  as  the  rest,  if  I  can  judge 
by  the  dulness  of  the  sound.  The  red  paint  also  is 
accurately  matched,  and  well  laid  on  across  the  joinings  ; 
but  did  you  notice,  M.  Goefle,  how  tin's  plaster  is 
scratched  in  the  middle  here?" 

"  Yes  ;  I  thought  it  had  been  done  by  a  rat !  " 

"Very  strange  sort  of  work  for  a  rat!  Do 'you  see 
what  regular  little  circles  he  has  traced  on  the  wall  ?  " 

"True;  but  what  of  it?" 

"  Every  effect  has  a  cause  ;  that  is  what  I  am  seeking. 
Did  you  not  say  that  among  the  sounds  you  had  heard 
there  was  a  scratching?" 

"  Yes  ;  a  grinding,  as  if  of  some  tool." 

"Well,  do  you  know  what  I  think  it  was?  Some 
feeble  or  unskilful  hand  trying  to  break  a  hole  in  the 
wall,  and  look  through." 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


257 


"It  must  have  been  with  a  nail,  then,  or  something 
still  smaller,  for  the  scratch  in  the  plaster  is  certainly  not 
more  than  two  lines  deep." 

"Not  so  much;  and  yet  it  has  been  cut  into  perse- 
veringly  in  many  places." 

"Stenson  may  h/ive  made  those  marks,  to  fix  in  his 
mind  something  or  other  that  he  did  not  choose  to  write 
down.  Come,  you  must  know  how  to  decipher  all  sorts 
of  lapidary  inscriptions." 

"I  know  enough  to  say  that  it  is  no  inscription,  and 
belongs  to  no  known  language.  I  hold  to  my  idea,  that 
it  was  an  attempt  to  pierce  the  wall.  See,  in  each  place 
there  is  a  small  hole  with  bevelled  edges,  made  with 
a  blunt  instrument,  and  around  it  a  circle,  scratched  into 
the  white  of  the  plaster,  as  if  a  pair  of  scissors  had  been 
used,  after  the  fashion  of  a  pair  of  dividers,  but  with  one 
prong  —  that  serving  as  the  feeble  support  —  broken." 

"  You  are  ingenious." 

"  Ingenious  enough  for  that ;  do  you  see  that  little 
pile  of  white  dust  recently  fallen  on  the  upper  stair?" 

"Well?" 

"Well,  this  person  —  whoever  you  may  choose  to 
consider  her,  an  illustrious  captive,  or  an  old  servant, 
Avho  runs  about  the  building  at  all  hours  —  came  here 
last  night ;  not  for  the  first  time,  but  for  the  twentieth 
at  least  —  to  try  and  look  through  this  wall.  Or,  stay 
—  better  yet !  She  knows  there  is  a  secret  there  — 
some  invisible  means  of  opening  this  invisible  door  — 
and  she  is  searching,  and  feeling,  and  digging,  to  try  and 
discover  it.  If  we  watch  her  to-night  we  shall  find  a 
clue  to  the  mystery." 

"Upon  my  word,  that  is  a  good  idea,  and  I  accept  it 
the  more  willingly  because  it  relieves  my  mind  of  a  real 
burden.  Instead  of  being  a  seer  of  visions,  I  should 
then  have  seen  a  real  person.  I  very  much  prefer  to 
think  it  is  so,  although  I  am  a  little  ashamed  of  myself 
for  having  had  any  doubts  on  the  subject.  However, 
Christian,  I  must  tell  you  one  thing  frankly.  I  do  not 
believe  there  is  any  prisoner  here,  for,  in  that  case, 
there  would  have  to  be  a  prison  and  a  jailer.  Now  this 

17 


258  THE  SNO  W  MAN. 

room  was  open  on  both  sides  when  you  arrived,  since 
you  came  in  by  one  door  and  went  out  by  the  other, 
and  there  is  no  one  fqr  a  jailer  except  Stenson,  who  is 
honest  and  devoted." 

"  But  the  baroness  was  certainly  imprisoned  here  with 
more  or  less  severity,  and  your  honest  Stenson  was  em- 
ployed here  then  —  " 

"  No,  it  has  never  been  made  to  appear  that  there 
was  any  actual  imprisonment ;  and  even  if  it  were  so, 
Stenson  was  not  master  of  Stollborg  at  that  time.  Now, 
when  he  alone  has  charge  of  it,  for  I  presume  you  do 
not  count  Ulphilas  as  anybody — " 

"  Say  what  you  like,  M.  Goefle,  there  is  some  mystery 
here  ;  and  whatever  it  is,  whether  great  or  trifling,  I  mean 
to  solve  it.  But,  great  heavens,  what  am  I  thinking  about  I 
Time  is  passing,  Puffo  does  not  come  back,  and  here 
I  am  amusing  myself  by  inventing  a  romance  when  I 
ought  to  be  thinking  about  the  one  I  am  to  perform !  I 
knew,  M.  Goefle,  that  when  you  made  me  eat,  you  would 
set  me  talking  and  make  me  forget  my  work  !  " 

"  Well,  well,  my  boy,  make  your  preparations,  then. 
I  promised  to  help  you,  you  know  !  " 

"You  can't  help  me,  M.  Goefle,  I  must  have  my  assist- 
ant. I'll  go  and  look  him  up." 

"Very  well,  go  then.  In  the  meanwhile  I  will  go 
and  see  Stenson,  to  whom  I  have  not  yet  had  leisure  to 
pay  my  respects,  and  who  probably  does  not  know  I  am 
here.  He  never  comes  into  these  premises  — " 

"  Ah,  I  beg  your  pardon,  M.  Goefle,  he  does.  He 
came  in  here  only  a  little  while  ago.  I  saw  him  while 
you  had  gone  out.  There  ;  I  forgot  to  tell  you  of  it. 
He  took  me  either  for  the  devil  or  for  a  ghost,  for  he  was 
in  an  awful  fright,  and  made  his  escape  stumbling,  and 
absolutely  out  of  his  wits  with  terror." 

"Pshaw!  Really?  Is  he  so  much  of  a  coward  as 
that?  But  I  have  no  right  to  laugh  at  him,  after  imag- 
ining that  I  saw  the  Gray  Lady.  He  certainly  cannot 
have  taken  you  for  her ! " 

"  I  don't  know  who  he  took  me  for — perhaps  for  the 
ghost  of  Baron  Adelstan." 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


259 


"  What?  Well,  it  is  possible.  There  is  his  portrait, 
opposite  to  his  wife's  ;  it  is  much  of  your  size  and  figure. 
Still  —  in  that  costume  —  " 

"I  had  not  put  it  on.  I  was  still  in  your  black 
clothes." 

"Why,  what  are  you  doing  now?    Masking?" 

"  No,  I  only  put  my  mask  on  my  head  in  case  I 
should  have  to  go  as  far  as  to  the  new  chateau  to  find 
Puffo." 

"  Let  me  see  the  mask — it  must  be  very  unpleasant." 

"  Not  at  all ;  it  is  on  a  plan  of  my  own ;  light  and 
supple,  all  of  silk,  and  lifting  upon  the  head  like  the  visor 
of  a  cap  that  can  be  put  up  or  down  at  pleasui-e.  When 
raised  and  hidden  by  my  hat,  it  at  least  helps  to  hide 
my  hair,  which  is  so  thick  that  it  would  attract  attention. 
When  it  is  down — I  find  it  very  comfortable,  by  the 
way,  in  this  climate  —  it  is  in  no  danger  of  falling,  and 
I  am  not  annoyed  by  being  constantly  obliged  to  tie  and 
untie  a  ribbon,  which,  moreover,  is  liable  to  break  or  be- 
come entangled.  See  what  a  neat  invention  it  is  ! " 

"Excellent !  But  your  voice  —  how  will  you  keep  from 
being  recognized  by  that  ?  " 

"  Oh,  that  is  my  talent,  my  specialty  !  You  know  it 
very  well,  for  you  have  been  present  at  one  of  my  per- 
formances." 

"  True.  I  would  have  taken  my  oath  that  there  were 
a  dozen  of  you  in  the  box.  I  must  see  you  this  evening, 
by  the  way  ;  I  shall  go  and  sit  with  the  audience,  but  I 
don't  want  to  know  the  piece  beforehand.  Well,  good 
luck  to  you,  my  boy  !  I'm  going  to  try  and  extract  some 
explanation  out  of  old  Steu  about  my  apparition.  But 
what  is  that  cypress-bough  that  you  are  putting  on  the 
frame  of  the  Gray  Lady's  picture  ?  " 

"That  is  another  thing  that  I  foi'got  to  tell  you.  M. 
Stensou  brought  it.  I  don't  know  what  he  meant  to  do 
with  it,  but  he  threw  it  down  at  my  feet ;  and  whatever 
his  intention  was,  I  am  going  to  make  a  memorial  offer- 
ing of  it  to  this  poor  Baroness  Hilda." 

"You  may  be  sure,  Christian,  that  this  was  also  the 
intention  of  the  good  old  man.  It  is  either  to-morrow  or 


260  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

to-day  —  stay  a  moment ;  I  have  a  good  memory  for 
dates  —  Mon  Dieu  I  this  very  day  is  the  anniversary  of 
the  death  of  the  baroness.  That  accounts  for  Sten's  pre- 
vailing on  himself  to  come  here,  to  offer  some  prayer  or 
other." 

"Then,"  said  Christian,  as  he  detached  the  little  slip 
of  parchment  which  M.  Goefle  had  taken  for  a  ribbon 
from  the  branch  around  which  it  was  rolled,  "  see  if  you 
can  explain  the  verses  of  the  Bible  that  are  written  on 
that.  My  time  is  so  short  that  I  will  go  without  waiting 
now." 

"  Stay,"  said  M.  Goefle,  who  had  put  on  his  spectacles 
to  read  the  slip  of  parchment ;  "if  you  go  as  far  as  to 
the  new  chateau,  and  find  Master  Nils,  who  has  not  come 
back  here  to  attend  to  my  lunch,  will  you  do  me  the  pleas- 
ure to  take  him  bv  one  ear  and  bring  him  along  with 
you?" 

Christian  promised  to  bring  him,  alive  or  dead,  but  he 
did  not  have  to  go  very  far  to  find  both  his  own  valet 
and  M.  Goefle's.  He  went  into  the  stable,  where  it  oc- 
curred to  him  to  look  before  leaving  the  court,  and  there 
he  found  Puffo  and  Nils  snoring  side  by  side,  and  both 
of  them  equally  drunk.  Ulphilas,  who  could  bear  liquor 
better,  was  walking  backward  and  forward  about  the 
place,  very  well  satisfied  at  not  being  left  alone  at  night- 
fall, and  from  time  to  time  casting  a  fraternal  eye  upon 
the  two  comrades  of  his  revel.  Christian  saw  how  things 
had  gone.  Nils,  who  understood  both  Swedish  and  Da- 
lecarlian,  had  acted  as  interpreter  between  the  two  drunk- 
ards, and  their  growing  friendship  had  been  cemented  in 
the  cellar.  The  poor  little  valet  did  not  require  much 
of  a  trial  to  become  quite  oblivious  of  his  master,  even 
supposing  that  he  had  been  distressing  himself  particu- 
larly about  him  before.  Now,  he  was  lying  warm  and 
snug  in  the  dry  moss  which  they  use  for  litter  in  that 
country,  with  cheeks  red  and  nose  on  fire,  and,  as  well  as 
Puffo,  had  forgotten  all  about  the  cares  of  this  vile 
world. 

"Very  good,"  said  M.  Goefle  to  Christian,  who  met 
him  in  the  court,  and  brought  him  to  see  this  touching 


THE  SNOW  MAN.  261 

spectacle  ;  "  as  long  as  the  little  rascal  is  not  ill,  I  am  very 
well  satisfied  not  to  have  to  wait  upon  him," 

"But  what  am  I  to  do,  M.  Goefle?"  said  Christian, 
in  a  great  deal  of  perplexity ;  "  I  can't  do  without  this 
beast  of  a  Puffo.  I  have  shaken  him,  but  in  vain.  He's 
dead  for  the  present.  I  know  him  ;  he  won't  be  himself 
for  ten  or  twelve  hours." 

"Pshaw,  pshaw!"  answered  M.  Goefle,  who  was  evi- 
dently preoccupied  ;  "go  and  select  your  piece,  and  don't 
trouble  yourself;  a  smart  fellow  like  you  is  never  at  a 
loss." 

And  leaving  Christian  to  get  out  of  his  difficulties  as  he 
best  might,  he  walked  on  with  his  usual  short,  quick,  de- 
termined step,  straight  to  the  pavilion,  in  the  new  gaard 
which  Stenson  occupied.  Evidently  the  three  verses  of 
the  Bible  were  whirling  about  busily  in  his  head. 

The  lower  floor  of  this  pavilion  was  a  sort  of  vestibule, 
which  Ulphilas,  who  was  afraid  of  being  alone,  preferred 
to  his  own  lodging,  and  where  he  slept  under  the  pretence 
of  being  at  hand  to  wait  upon  his  uncle,  whose  great  age 
needed  constant  attendance.  Ulph  had  just  come  into  this 
vestibule,  and  had  thrown  himself  down  upon  his  bed,  where 
he  was  already  fast  asleep  and  snoring.  M.  Goefle  was  about 
ascending  to  the  upper  floor,  when  he  was  arrested  by  the 
sound  of  voices  in  conversation.  Two  persons  were  talk- 
ing, with  great  animation,  in  Italian.  The  voice  of  one  of 
them  was  pitched  in  a  high  key,  as  is  often  the  case  with 
deaf  persons,  who  cannot  themselves  hear  what  they  are 
saying ;  this  was  Stenson.  He  spoke  the  language  with  a 
good  deal  of  facility,  but  with  a  detestable  accent,  and 
very  incorrectly.  The  other  person,  who  was  speaking 
pure  Italian  in  a  noticeably  clear  voice,  and  with  a  very 
'  distinct  pronunciation,  seemed  to  make  himself  heard,  in 
spite  of  the  old  man's  deafness.  M.  Goefle  was  very 
much  surprised  to  find  that  Stenson  understood  Italian, 
and  could  express  himself  in  it  either  well  or  ill,  for  he 
did  not  know  that  he  had  ever  had  any  occasion  to  use  it. 
The  conversation  was  being  carried  on  in  Stenson's  office, 
which  opened  into  his  sleeping-room.  The  door  at  the 
head  of  the  stairs  was  closed ;  but  M.  Goefle,  taking  a 


262  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

few  steps  up,  heard  a  fragment  of  the  dialogue,  in  sub- 
stance as  follows : 

"No,"  said  Stenson,  "you  are  mistaken.  The  baron 
has  no  interest  in  making  this  discovery." 

"  Possibly,  M.  Steward,"  replied  the  unknown  ;  "  but 
it  will  not  cost  me  anything  to  ascertain." 

"Then  you  propose  to  sell  the  secret  to  the  highest 
bidder?" 

"Perhaps  so.     What  do  you  offer?" 

"  Nothing !  I  am  poor,  because  I  have  always  been 
honest  and  disinterested.  I  do  not  even  own  anything  in 
this  place.  I  have  only  my  life.  .You  may  take  that,  if 
you  choose." 

At  these  words,  which  seemed  to  imply  that  old  Sten- 
son was  at  the  mercy  of  some  bandit,  M.  Goefle  sprang 
up  two  more  steps  at  a  stride,  to  come  to  the  rescue  ;  but 
the  Italian  resumed,  with  perfect  composure  : 

"What  should  I  do  with  that,  Monsieur  Stenson? 
Come,  take  courage !  you  can  get  yourself  out  of  the 
difficulty  by  looking  up  some  of  your  old  crowns  in  your 
old  box.  Old  people  always  have  one.  You  fouud  the 
means  of  paying  Manasses,  so  as  to  secure  his  discretion." 

"  Manasses  was  an  honest  man.     That  salary  —  " 

"Was  not  intended  for  him,  I  have  no  doubt ;  but  he 
thought  otherwise,  for  he  always  kept  it  for  himself 
alone." 

"  You  are  slandering  him." 

"Well,  whether  that  is  so  or  not,  he  is  dead  ;  and  the 
other  —  " 

"  He  is  dead,  too.     I  know  it." 

•'  You  know  it !     How  do  you  know  it  ?  " 

"  I  am  not  obliged  to  say.  But  I  am  certain  that  he  is 
dead,  and  you  can  tell  the  baron  anything  you  please.  I 
am  not  afraid  of  you.  Adieu  !  I  have  not  long  to  live, 
so  leave  me  to  prepare  for  another  world  ;  it  is  the  only 
thing  that  I  occupy  myself  about.  Adieu !  Leave  me, 
I  tell  you.  I  have  no  money." 

"  That  is  your  last  word,  is  it?  You  know  that  within 
two  hours  I  shall  have  taken  service  with  the  baron  ?  " 

"That  makes  no  difference  to  me." 


THE  SNO  W  MAN.  263 

"You  don't  suppose  I  have  come  so  far  to  be  paid  with 
nothing  but  such  talk?  " 

"  Do  whatever  you  choose." 

The  door  now  opened,  and  M.  Goefle  stepped  resolutely 
up  towards  the  person  who  canie  out.  He  found  himself 
confronting  a  man  who  seemed  about  thirty  years  of  age, 
and  who  was  quite  handsome,  though  his  face  was  singu- 
larly pale,  and  forbidding  in  expression.  The  lawyer's 
eyes  met  the  stranger's  as  they  passed  close  to  each  other 
on  the  narrow  stairway ;  the  gaze  of  the  former  was 
open,  severe,  and  scrutinizing;  that  of  the  latter,  oblique 
and  distrustful.  The  unknown,  however,  bowed  civilly, 
and  passed  down  to  the  foot  of  the  stairs,  while  M.  Goefle 
prpceeded  to  the  top  ;  but  having  reached  those  points,  both 
turned  for  another  look,  and  the  advocate  was  struck  with 
something  diabolical  in  the  sallow  face  below  him  gleam- 
ing in  the  light  of  the  small  lamp  that  hung  before  the 
inner  door  of  the  vestibule.  On  entering  Stenson's  room 
he  found  him  seated  with  his  head  resting  on  his  hands,  as 
motionless  as  a  statue,  so  that  he  was  obliged  to  touch  his 
arm  to  make  known  his  presence.  Even  then,  such  was 
the  old  man's  abstraction,  that  he  looked  up  with  a  stupe- 
fied air ;  it  was  some  moments  before  he  recognized  his 
visitor  and  recovered  his  presence  of  mind.  Recollecting 
himself  at  last,  he  arose  with  a  great  effort  and  saluted  M. 
Goefle  with  his  usual  politeness,  inquiring  after  his  health, 
and  offering  his  own  chair,  which  the  lawyer,  however,  de- 
clined. On  taking  his  hand,  he  found  it  warm  and  wet, 
either  with  perspiration  or  with  tears.  M.  Goefle  was  deeply 
moved  ;  he  felt  a  great  esteem  and  affection  for  Sten,  and  al- 
ways treated  him  with  the  respect  that  was  the  proper  trib- 
ute to  his  age  and  character.  It  was  easy  to  see  that  the 
old  man  had  passed  through  a  terrible  crisis,  and  that  he 
had  endured  it  with  dignity  ;  but  what  could  this  secret 
be  which  this  stranger  with  the  suspicious  face  and 
cynical  language  appeared  to  be  holding  suspended,  like 
the  sword  of  Damocles,  over  his  head? 

Stenson  had  by  this  time  recovered  his  usual  grave, 
and  rather  cold  and  ceremonious,  demeanor.  He  had 
never  been  companionable  with  any  one.  Whether  from 


264  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

pride  or  shyness,  he  was  as  reserved  with  people  whom 
he  had  known  thirty  years,  as  with  those  whom  he  met 
for  the  first  time  ;  and  he  was  in  the  habit,  moreover,  of 
replying  in  monosyllables  to  all  questions,  the  most  im- 
portant as  well  as  the  most  trifling ;  knowing  this,  M. 
Gocfle  had  been  the  more  surprised  at  his  connected  con- 
versation with  the  unknown,  which  he  had  overheard. 

"  I  did  not  know  that  you  had  come  to  Waldemora,  M. 
Goefle,"  he  said  ;  "  is  it  about  the  lawsuit?  " 

"  Yes,  the  baron's  suit  with  his  neighbor  of  Elfdalen, 
who,  I  think,  may  be  in  the  right  of  it ;  I  have  advised 
the  baron  to  arrange  the  affair,  without  pushing  it  to  a 
legal  decision.  Can  you  hear  me,  M.  Stenson?" 

"  Yes,  monsieur,  perfectly." 

As  the  old  man,  from  an  excess  of  politeness,  always 
made  this  reply  whether  he  heard  or  not,  M.  Goefle,  who 
was  determined  to  have  some  conversation  with  him,  put 
his  mouth  to  his  ear,  and  took  pains  to  articulate  every 
syllable  very  distinctly,  but  he  soon  saw  that  this  precau- 
tion was  less  necessary  now  than  had  been  the  case  in  for- 
mer years.  Stenson's  deafness,  far  from  having  increased, 
seemed  to  be  sensibly  diminished.  M.  Goefle  congratu- 
lated Sten  on  this,  but  he  shook  his  head,  and  said  : 

"It  is  temporary  only  ;  it  changes  a  great  deal.  To- 
day I  hear  everything." 

"  Does  not  this  occur  when  you  have  experienced  some 
strong  emotion  ?  "  asked  M.  Goefle. 

Stenson  looked  at  the  lawyer  with  surprise,  and,  after 
hesitating  a  moment,  made  this  answer  —  which  was  no 
answer  at  all : 

"I  am  nervous  —  extremely  nervous." 

"Might  I  inquire,"  asked  M.  Goefle,  "  who  the  man 
was  whom  I  just  met  going  out  from  here?  " 

"  I  do  not  know." 

"  Did  you  not  ask  his  name?  " 

"He  is  an  Italian." 

"  But  what  is  his  name?" 

"  He  said  it  was  Guido." 

"Does  he  propose  to  enter  the  baron's  service?  " 

"Possibly." 


THE   SNOW  MAN.  26$ 

"  He  has  a  bad  face." 

"  Do  you  think  so?" 

"  However,  it  will  not  be  the  only  one  about  the  baron." 

Stenson  gave  no  sign  of  assent,  and  his  face  remained 
impassible.  It  was  not  easy  to  enter  into  conversation 
on  delicate  and  confidential  topics  with  a  man  whose 
ceremonious  bearing  seemed  constantly  to  say,  "  Talk  of 
your  own  business  to  me,  not  of  mine."  But  M.  Goefle 
was  urged  on  by  the  demon  of  curiosity,  and  would  not 
allow  himself  to  be  repulsed. 

"  This  Italian  was  talking  to  you  rather  rudely,"  he 
said  with  abruptness. 

"  Do  you  think  so?"  replied  the  old  man,  with  an  air 
of  indifference. 

"  I  heard  him  while  I  was  coming  up  stairs." 

Sten's  face  showed  some  traces  of  emotion,  but  he  asked 
no  question  betraying  any  uneasiness  at  what  M.  Goefle 
might  have  heard. 

"  He  was  threatening  you,"  added  the  latter. 

"With  what?"  asked  Stenson,  shrugging  his  shoulders  ; 
"  I  am  so  old  —  " 

"  He   threatened   to   reveal   something  to  the  baron, ' 
which  it  is  greatly  to  your  interest  to  keep  concealed." 

Stenson  remained  perfectly  quiet,  as  if  he  had  not 
heard.  M.  Goefle  persisted  : 

"  Who  is  this  Manasses  who  is  dead?  " 

The  same  silence  upon  Stenson's  part,  while  his  im- 
penetrable eyes,  fixed  on  M.  Goefle,  seemed  to  say,  "  If 
you  know,  why  do  you  ask  ?  " 

"  And  the  other,"  the  advocate  went  on,  "what  other 
was  he  speaking  of?  " 

"  Were  you  listening,  M.  Goefle?  "  questioned  the  old 
man  in  his  turn,  with  a  tone  of  extreme  deference,  but  in 
which  there  was  a  distinct  accent  of  disapproval. 

The  advocate  felt  some  embarrassment,  but  his  con- 
sciousness of  his  good  intentions  reassured  him. 

"  Are  you  surprised,  M.  Stenson,"  he  asked,  after  a 
pause,  "  that  when  I  suddenly  heard  an  unknown  voice 
speaking  to  you  in  a  threatening  tone,  I  should  have  ap- 
proached to  help  you,  if  necessary?  " 


266  THE   SNO  W  MAN. 

Stenson  held  out  to  M.  Goefle  his  aged,  wrinkled  hand, 
which  had  become  cold  once  more. 

His  lips  moved  for  some  moments  without  uttering  a 
sound — a  natural  action  with  a  person  unaccustomed  to 
talking,  and  struggling  to  overcome  his  habitual  reserve ; 
but  he  hesitated  so  long,  that  M.  Goefle,  to  encourage 
him,  said : 

"  My  dear  M.  Stenson,  there  is  a  secret  oppressing  you, 
and  you  are  in  serious  danger  in  consequence." 

Stenson  sighed,  and  replied  laconically  : 

"  I  am  an  honest  man,  M.  Goefle  !  " 

"  And  yet,"  answered  the  lawyer,  with  emphasis,  "your 
conscience  —  a  pious  and  sensitive  one  —  is  reproaching 
you  for  something  ! " 

"  Something?  "  repeated  Stenson,  with  an  air  mild  and 
yet  firm,  as  much  as  to  say,  "Let  me  hear  what  you  can 
allege  against  me  !  " 

"  You  have,  at  least,  to  fear  the  vengeance  of  the 
baron  ?  " 

"  No."  answered  Stenson,  with  sudden  decision  of  tone, 
"  I  know  what  the  doctor  told  me." 

"  Has  the  doctor  given  him  up?  Is  his  complaint  so 
much  advanced  as  that?  I  saw  him  this  morning.  He 
looked  to  me  as  if  he  might  last  a  good  while." 

"  For  months,"  replied  Stenson,  "  and  I  may  last  for 
years.  I  consulted  the  doctor  yesterday  ;  I  do  so  every 
year." 

"You  are  waiting  for  his  death,  then,  to  reveal  some- 
thing of  importance.  But  you  are  aware  that  he  is  said 
to  be  capable  of  having  people  whom  he  is  afraid  of  as- 
sassinated. What  do  you  think  on  that  subject?  " 

Stenson  answered  by  a  look  of  surprise,  which  M. 
Goefle  thought  unquestionably  assumed,  for  it  was  suc- 
ceeded immediately  by  an  expression  of  repressed  anx- 
iety. Stenson  knew  how  to  restrain  himself,  but  not  how 
to  dissimulate. 

"  Stenson,"  said  the  lawyer,  with  the  energy  of  genuine 
sincerity,  as  he  took  both  the  old  man's  hands  in  his,  "  I 
tell  you  again,  some  oppressive  secret  is  weighing  upon 


THE  SNOW  MAN.  267 

you.  Open  your  heart  to  me  as  a  friend.  You  may  rely 
upon  me,  if  there  is  an  injustice  to  be  made  good." 

Stenson  hesitated  for  some  moments ;  then,  taking  a 
key  from  his  pocket,  he  opened,  in  an  agitated  manner, 
a  drawer  of  his  desk,  and,  showing  M.  Goefle  a  small 
sealed  hox,  he  said  : 

"  Your  word  of  honor?" 

"I  give  it  you  !  " 

"And  upon  the  holy  Bible?  " 

"  Upon  the  holy  Bible  —  now  then  ?  —  " 

"  AVell,  then,  if  I  die  before  him,  open,  read,  and  act. 
But  only  after  I  am  dead." 

M.  Goefle  glanced  at  the  box,  and  saw  his  own  uame 
and  address  upon  it. 

"  You  had  already  chosen  me  for  this  trust,"  he  said ; 
"  I  thank  you  for  it,  my  friend,  but,  if  your  life  is  threat- 
ened, why  not  tell  me  the  whole  at  once?  There,  dear 
M.  Stenson,  I  am  beginning  to  open  my  eyes  !  The 
baron  —  " 

Stenson  made  a  sign  that  he  Avould  not  answer. 

"  Pie  starved  his  sister-in-law  to  death !  " 

"  No,"  cried  Stenson,  with  the  emphasis  of  truth,  "  no, 
no  !  That  was  not  the  case  !  " 

"  But  that  declaration  respecting  her  pregnancy  —  she 
was  forced  to  sign  it." 

"  She  signed  voluntarily,  of  her  own  free-will.  I  was 
present,  and  signed  it  also  myself." 

"  But  what  became  of  her  body?  Was  it  thrown  to 
the  dogs  ?  " 

"Oh,  my  God!  Was  I  not  there?  It  was  buried 
with  religious  services." 

"By  you?" 

"  By  my  own  hands.  But  you  are  inquisitive  !  Give 
me  the  box  !  " 

"  Do  you  doubt  my  oath?  " 

"  No,"  replied  the  old  man  ;  "  keep  it  —  and  ask  me 
no  more  questions." 

He  orice  more  pressed  M.  Goefle's  hands,  took  a  seat 
near  the  fire,  and,  either  in  reality  or  by  design,  relapsed 
into  entire  deafness.  M.  Goefle,  to  divert  his  mind,  and 


268  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

hoping,  after  a  little,  to  draw  him  again  into  a  confidential 
mood,  endeavored  to  talk  with  him  about  the  lawsuit  on 
which  the  baron  had  consulted  him  in  the  morning.  But 
this  time  he  was  obliged  to  write  what  he  wanted  to  say, 
when  the  old  man  answered  with  his  usual  clearness. 
His  opinion  was  that  the  mineral  property  of  the  mountain- 
track  in  litigation  belonged  to  the  Count  de  Rosenstein, 
a  neighbor  of  the  baron.  He  stated  good  grounds  for 
this  belief,  and,  after  searching  among  his  papers,  which 
were  all  arranged  and  marked  with  the  greatest  care,  he 
laid  out  the  actual  proofs.  M.  Goefle  observed  that  this 
was  his  own  opinion,  and  that  he  should  be  forced  to  have 
a  disagreement  with  the  baron,  if  the  latter  should  persist  in 
seeking  to  employ  him  in  a  bad  cause.  He  added  some  re- 
flections as  to  the  presumed  wicked  character  of  his  client, 
but  Stenson  showed  no  signs  of  understanding  these  allu- 
sions ;  and  as  it  is  impossible  to  take  a  person  by  surprise 
in  a  written  conversation,  M.  Goefle  had  to  give  up  the 
idea  of  questioning  him  further. 

On  his  way  back  to  the  bear-room,  the  lawyer  consid- 
ered whether  he  ought  to  communicate  to  Christian  the 
understanding  he  had  entered  into  with  Stenson,  and  con- 
cluded that  he  was,  on  the  whole,  bound  to  silence.  He 
was,  besides,  not  just  now  in  a  confidential  humor.  Agi- 
tated by  a  thousand  strange  thoughts  and  contradictory 
suppositions,  his  brain  was  as  actively  at  work  as  if  he 
had  just  been  intrusted  with  a  difficult  suit  full  of  impor- 
tant questions.  The  exact  contrary  was  the  case,  for 
Stenson  had  prohibited  him  from  even  feeling  curiosity. 
This  interdict,  however,  was  altogether  null ;  M.  Goefle 
could  not  at  all  impose  silence  upon  the  tumult  of  his 
hypotheses.  However,  Christian's  attitude  made  it  easy 
for  him  to  be  reserved.  Far  from  questioning  him,  the 
young  man  had  forgotten  all  about  their  last  conversation, 
and  was  absorbed  by  his  comedy.  He  was,  moreover, 
very  much  discouraged  ;  and  when  the  lawyer  asked  if  lie 
had  arranged  to  do  without  his  assistant,  he  answered 
that  he  had  been  trying  in  vain  to  do  so  for  the  last  hour. 
He  could,  it  is  true,  dispense  with  his  services  after  a 
fashion  ;  but  at  the  risk  of  many  accidents  and  undesir- 


THE   SNOW  MAN.  269 

able  omissions  in  the  presentation  of  the  piece.  On  the 
whole,  he  would  have  to  make  such  heavy  drafts  on  his 
brain  and  strength,  and  undergo  such  great  fatigue,  that 
he  felt  like  giving  up  the  whole  thing. 

"It  is  true,"  he  said  to  M.  Goefle,  who  was  trying  to 
encourage  him.  "I  give  you  my  word  that,  to  use  a 
juggler's  phrase,  the  game  is  not  worth  the  candle.  In 
plain  words,  I  should  tire  myself  to  death,  without  ben- 
efit to  my  reputation,  and  I  should  swindle  the  baron  out 
of  his  money.  Do  you  know  what  I  intend  to  do,  M. 
Goefle  ?  Renouncing  the  idea  of  shining  in  this  neigh- 
borhood, I  shall  bundle  up  all  this  luggage,  and  take  up 
my  line  of  march  for  some  town  where  I  can  look  up  an- 
other assistant,  competent  to  help  me  in  representing,  and 
pious  enough  to  keep  the  oath  which  I  shall  exact  from 
him,  to  drink  nothing  but  water,  even  though  all  the 
mountains  of  Sweden  should  run  down  with  wine  ! " 

"The  devil !  the  devil !"  exclaimed  M.  Goefle,  greatly 
discomposed  at  the  idea  of  losing  his  fellow-lodger  ;  "  if  I 
thought  I  could  make  these  small  gentlemen  perform  a 
little —  but,  pshaw  !  I  never  could  learn  it !  " 

"  Nothing  easier.  Try.  The  forefinger  in  the  head, 
the  thumb  in  one  arm,  the  middle  finger  in  the  other  — 
that's  it !  that's  it,  exactly.  Come,  make  a  bow.  Lift 
the  hands  towards  heaven  !  " 

"  That's  easy  enough  !  But  to  make  the  gestures 
match  the  words,  and  then  to  find  something  to  say ! 
I  can  only  improvise  monologue." 

"  Well,  that's  a  great  deal.  Come,  now,  argue  a  case. 
Lift  that  arm,  and  forget  that  you  are  M.  Goefle  ;  keep 
your  eye  on  the  figure  that  you  are  directing.  As  you 
speak,  the  gestures  that  you  would  naturally  make  with 
your  arms,  and  the  whole  carriage  of  your  person,  will  be 
reproduced  of  themselves  at  your  fingers'  ends.  You  only 
need  to  be  convinced  that  the  burattino  is  a  real  persou, 
and  to  transfer  your  individuality  from  yourself  to  him." 

"  Diantre  !  That  is  very  easy  for  you  to  say ;  but 
without  any  practice  —  well,  let's  try  it.  Suppose  I  am 
arguing,  —  what  shall  I  argue,  by  the  way  ?  " 


270 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


"  Defend  the  baron  from  the  charge  of  having  caused 
the  assassination  of  his  brother  !  " 

"  Defend  !     I  would  rather  argue  against  than  for  him." 

"  If  you  are  against  him,  you  will  be  pathetic ;  if  for 
him,  you  may  perhaps  be  comic." 

"So  be  it," -said  M.  Goefle,  extending  the  hand  on 
which  he  held  the  marionette,  and  making  it  gesticulate. 
"  Here  goes  ;  attend  : 

"  What  accusation  can  you  bring  against  my  client,  you 
who  reproach  him  for  an  action  so  simple  and  natural  as 
merely  the  suppression  of  a  troublesome  member  of  his 
family  ?  Why  should  he  be  blamed  for  that  ?  When  has 
it  ever  been  expected  that  a  man  fond  of  money  and  dis- 
play should  pay  regard  to  the  vulgar  consideration  which 
you  call  the  right  to  live?  The  right  to  live!  We  all 
claim  it  equally,  and  if  we  have  the  right  to  live,  have  we 
not  also  the  right  to  live  as  we  please  ?  But  if  we  cannot 
live  without  a  considerable  fortune,  without  the  privileges 
of  an  elevated  station ;  if  we  find  that  we  should  die  of 
shame  and  mortification,  fairly  burst  with  ennui,  to  use  a 
colloquial  phrase,  unless  able  to  command  luxury,  castles, 
credit,  and  power;  if  all  this  is  so,  why,  then,  we  pos- 
sess the  right,  we  demand  the  right,  we  seize  the  right, 
of  removing  from  our  path  all  obstacles  whatever  which 
may  impede  the  most  expansive,  extensive,  and  radiant 
development  of  our  whole  moral  and  physical  being.  In 
our  justification  we  may  —  " 

"  Higher  !  "  interrupted  Christian,  who  was  laughing 
at  the  satirical  argument  of  the  lawyer. 

"We  may  cite,"  continued  M.  Goefle,  elevating  the 
pitch  of  his  voice,  "  the  traditions  of  ancient  times,  from 
Cain  down  to  the  great  King  Birger-Iarl,  who  starved  his 
two  brothers  to  death  in  the  chateau  of  Nikoeping.  Yes, 
gentlemen,  we  point  you  to  the  ancient  customs  of  the 
north,  and,  moreover,  to  the  glorious  example  of  the 
court  of  Russia  of  late  years.  Who  of  you  will  venture 
to  weigh  petty  moralities  against  the  great  consideration 
of  a  reason  of  state  ?  I  say  a  reason  of  state,  gentlemen. 
Do  you  know  what  that  is  ?  " 

"  Higher  !  "  repeated  Christian  ;  "  higher,  M.  Goefle  ! " 


THE  SNO  W  MAN. 


271 


"  A  reason  of  state,"  squealed  M.  Goefle,  in  a  falsetto 
—  for  the  range  of  his  voice  did  not  extend  high  at  all  — 
"a  reason  of  state  is,  in  my  judgment  —  " 

"  Higher ! " 

"Goto  the  devil!  I  shall  burst  my  pharynx!  I've 
had  enough,  thank  you,  if  I've  got  to  scream  in  that 
way." 

"  Why,  no,  my  dear  sir  !  I  did  not  tell  you  to  speak 
higher.  I've  been  lifting  up  my  arm  to  you  this  hour ; 
you  do  not  observe  that  if  you  hold  the  marionette  down 
there  at  the  level  of  your  breast  no  one  can  see  it,  and 
that  you  will  be  playing  exclusively  for  your  own  benefit. 
See  here :  your  hand  must  be  higher  than  your  head. 
Come,  now,  let's  try  a  dialogue.  I  am  the  counsel  on  the 
other  side,  and  I  interrupt  you  in  an  excess  of  indignation, 
which  \  cannot  restrain  :  '  I  absolutely  cannot  endure  this 
any  longer  ;  and  since  the  judges  think  proper  to  sit  sleep- 
ing on  the  bench  before  such  an  abuse  of  the  faculty  of 
human  speech,  notwithstanding  the  specious  eloquence  of 
my  illustrious  and  powerful  adversary,  I — '  Interrupt 
me,  M.  Goefle  ;  you  must  always  interrupt." 

"  The  counsel  for  the  prosecution,"  said  M.  Goefle, 
"  is  not  arguing  at  present.  I  am  playing  the  judge,  now." 

"  Very  good  ;  but  use  another  voice." 

"I  don't  know  how." 

"  Yes,  indeed  ;  you  have  one  hand  free.  Pinch  your 
nose." 

"  Good !  "  said  M.  Goefle,  with  a  strong  twang.  'The 
counsel  for  the  prosecution  will  speak  in  his  own  turn.' " 

"  Bravo  !  '  I  insist  on  speaking  this  moment !  I  de- 
mand the  right  of  confounding  the  odious  sophistry  of  the 
defence  !  — '  " 

"  '  Odious  sophistry  ! ' ' 

"  Capital !  oh,  capital !  In  an  angry  tone  !  Now  I 
reply  :  '  Orator  without  principle  !  I  hand  you  over  to 
the  ban  of  Public  Opinion ! '  Give  me  a  slap,  M. 
Goefle." 

"  What !  —  give  you  a  slap  ?  " 

"Certainly,  my  lawyer,  I  mean  ;  fair  in  the  face,  and 
let  it  be  a  loud  one.  The  public  always  laughs  at 


272 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


that  sound.  Hold  tight  with  your  fingers  ;  I'm  going  to 
pull  your  cap  off.  Now  we  collar  each  other.  Bravo  ! 
Pull  the  marionette  off  my  fingers  with  yours,  and 
throw  it  over  into  the  audience.  The  children  run  after 
it,  pick  it  up,  examine  it  with  admiration,  and  throw  it 
back  into  the  theatre.  Take  care  and  have  it  fall  on 
its  head ;  the  public  will  almost  burst  with  laughter. 
God  only  knows  what  for,  but  they  always  do  it.  Abuse 
and  blows  are  a  delighful  spectacle  to  the  crowd  ;  and 
under  cover  of  the  laughter,  your  personage  marches  off 
the  stage  with  a  triumphant  air." 

"And  we  have  time  to  take  breath  !  In  good  season, 
too  ;  I  have  talked  myself  hoarse." 

"Take  breath?  Oh,  not  at  all!  The  operators  can 
never  stop  to  take  breath.  We  must  hurry  and  take  the 
actors  for  the  next  scene ;  and  for  fear  the  audience 
will  lose  its  interest  before  an  empty  stage,  we  must  keep 
up  the  dialogue,  as  if  the  actors  who  just  went  off  were 
still  quarrelling  behind  the  scenes,  or  as  if  those  on  the 
point  of  coming  on  were  chattering  about  what  had  just 
happened." 

"  Plague  on  it !  Why  it's  a  business  that  would  wear 
out  a  horse  ! " 

"I  do  n't  deny  it;  still  you  get  excited  and  warmed 
up,  and  keep  on  growing  more  and  more  spirited.  Well, 
let  us  try  another  scene,  M.  Goefle.  Let  us  bring 
out  —  " 

"But  I  have  had  quite  enough  of  it,  I  believe.  Do 
you  suppose  I  want  to  help  you  conduct  the  exhibition  ? " 

"I  thought  you  meant  that  you  would  help  me  this 
evening !  " 

"  I  ?    What !    I  go  on  the  stage  ?" 

"  Who  will  know  that  it  is  you  ?  The  theatre  will  be 
set  up  immediately  before  the  door  of  a  room  where  no  oue 
is  allowed  to  enter.  There  is  a  curtain  between  you  and 
the  audience  ;  and,  if  necessary,  you  can  mask  yourself, 
if  there  is  any  risk  of  being  met  in  the  corridors  as  you 
go  in  or  out." 

"True  enough,  nobody  sees  you,  nobody  knows  that 
you  are  there;  but  my  voice,  my  pronunciation?  Be- 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


273 


fore  I  should  have  uttered  a  dozen  words  every  one 
would  say :  '  Good  !  that's  M.  Goefle  ! '  A  fine  effect 
that  would  have,  from  a  man  of  my  age,  practising  a 
dignified  profession  !  It's  impossible  ;  don't  think  of  it." 

"It's  a  great  pity  —  you  would  succeed  capitally  !  " 

"  Do  you  think  so?" 

"Most  assuredly.  You  would  have  secured  me  a 
great  success." 

"But  that  devil  of  a  voice  of  mine,  that  everybody 
knows  !  " 

"  There  are  a  thousand  ways  of  changing  that.  I  can 
show  you  three  or  four  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  and  that 
is  more  than  you  would  need  for  this  evening." 

"Well,  what  are  they?  If  I  were  only  sure  that 
nobody  would  suspect  me  of  such  a  piece  of  nonsense ! 
Ah,  there's  an  instrument  that  I  can  see  the  use  of — a 
nose-pinch !  And  this  one  is  to  be  used  in  the  mouth, 
either  on  the  tongue  or  under  it." 

"Oh  no!"  said  Christian;  "those  are  rude  con- 
trivances that  Puffo  vises.  You  are  too  intelligent  to 
need  them.  Now  listen,  and  imitate  me." 

"Really,"  said  M.  Goefle,  after  some  experiments  that 
were  promptly  successful,  "  it  is  not  so  bad  !  I  used  to 
act  in  private  theatricals  in  my  younger  days,  and  I  did 
as  well  as  other  people.  I  understand  very  well  how  to 
imitate  a  toothless  old  man,  a  drawling  coxcomb,  and  a 
pedant  that  licks  his  lips  at  every  word.  Now,  if  you 
will  not  make  me  talk  too  much  and  fatigue  my  throat, 
I  will  go  through  three  or  four  scenes  with  you.  But  we 
must  have  a  rehearsal.  What  is  the  piece  ?  Where  is 
it?  What's  the  name?" 

"Wait  a  minute,  M.  Goefle.  I  have  a  number  of 
manuscripts  that  you  would  be  ready  with  after  read- 
ing them  over  once ;  especially  since  the  one  repre- 
sented, summed  up  in  few  words,  and  written  in  large 
letters,  is  always  hung  up  before  us  inside  of  the  front 
of  the  theatre.  But  what  I  should  like  in  playing  with 
you  is,  to  arrange  a  new  piece,  which  would  entertain 
you  more,  and  would  give  scope  to  your  faculty  for  im- 
18 


274  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

provising.  Now,  if  you  will  take  my  opinion,  we  will 
go  right  to  work,  and  get  one  up  between  us." 

"That's  an  excellent  idea  !  "  said  M.  Goefle.  "Well, 
quick,  then !  let's  sit  down  here ;  we  can  make  room 
enough  on  this  table.  What  shall  the  subject  be?" 

"Whatever  you  like." 

"Well,  then,  your  own  history,  Christian  ;  or  at  least 
some  parts  of  it,  just  as  you  told  it  to  me." 

"No,  M.  Goefle,  my  history  is  not  an  amusing  one, 
and  it  would  not  inspire  me  with  any  brilliant  fancies. 
The  only  romantic  part  of  it  is  just  that  Avhich  I  am  myself 
ignorant  about,  and  I  have  often  taken  this  as  the  basis 
of  my  Stentarello's  adventures.  Stentarello,  you  know, 
is  a  personage  who  adapts  himself  to  all  characters  and  all 
situations.  Well,  one  of  my  fancies  is  to  attribute  to 
him  a  mysterious  birth,  such  as  mine  was ;  and  I  often 
begin  my  pieces  by  making  him  narrate  the  precise  cir- 
cumstances of  that  story,  whether  true  or  false,  which 
the  little  Jew  told  Sophia  GofFredi.  I  have  sometimes 
amused  myself  by  the  idea  that  I  should  some  day  hear 
an  exclamation  or  a  cry  in  the  audience  that  would  be 
the  means  of  directing  me  to  my  mother.  But  that  is  a 
mere  fancy.  As  for  Stentarello,  he  is  a  comic  individ- 
ual, sometimes  young  and  sometimes  old,  according  as 
I  nail  a  blond  or  a  white  wig  on  his  head.  Of  course, 
in  order  to  be  laughed  at,  he  must  be  ridiculous.  In 
such  a  plot  as  I  refer  to,  and  which  I  propose  that  we 
should  adopt,  he  goes  about  in  search  of  his  parents, 
taking  it  for  granted  that  he  is  nothing  less  than  the 
natural  son  of  a  king.  Then  the  action  of  the  piece 
takes  him  through  a  series  of  absurd  adventures,  in  the 
course  of  which  he  makes  various  ridiculous  blunders, 
until  he  ends  by  discovering  that  he  is  the  son  of  a 
mere  country  clown ;  but  by  that  time  he  has  had  so 
mauy  mortifications,  that  he  thinks  himself  fortunate  to 
find  food  and  shelter  with  his  father." 

"Very  good,"  said  M.  Goefle,  "we  will  make  him  an 
epicure,  and  the  son  of  a  cook  or  confectioner." 

"Exactly  the  thing.  That's  the  idea.  Well,  shall  we 
begin?" 


THE  SNOW  MAN.  275 

"  Do  you  write,  if  you  can  do  it  legibly.  My  writing 
can  hardly  be  read.  My  hand  can't  keep  up  with  the 
flow  of  my  ideas,  and  I  scratch  away  like  a  cat.  The 
deuce  —  what  a  good  hand  !  But  what  are  you  doing?" 

"Putting  down  the  dramatis personce." 

"Yes,  I  see  that;  but  you  have  written  in  the  first 
act :  Stentarello  in  swaddling  clothes  ?  " 

"That  is  my  idea.  I  am  tired  of  making  my  poor 
Stentarello  repeat  the  story  of  being  let  down  by  a  cord 
out  of  a  window  into  a  boat.  If  you  agree,  I  will  paint 
that  scene  instead." 

"Paint  it?     But  how  the  devil  will  you  do  it? " 

"  I  have  an  old  castle  amongst  my  scenery  here." 

"What  good  will  that  do?" 

"I  will  transform  it  into  Stollborg.  "We  will  give  it 
another  name,  but  I  will  use  the  same  romantic  view 
that  struck  me  so  forcibly  on  the  lake  at  sunset,  and  of 
which  I  made  a  sketch." 

"You  are  going  to  paint?" 

"Yes  ;  .while  you  write,  whether  well  or  ill,  it  makes 
no  difference  ;  I  have  deciphered  such  quantities  of  hi- 
eroglyphics with  my  poor  Goffredi !  Remember,  we  have 
very  little  time.  I  have  whatever  is  necessary  to  change 
my  scenes  for  the  requirements  of  any  special  occasion. 
A  little  dissolved  glue  in  a  tin  box,  and  a  few  bags  of 
powdered  paint  of  different  colors,  are  enough.  The  can- 
vas is  no  larger  than  the  back  of  my  theatre,  and  the 
colors  dry  in  five  minute*.  That  will  be  about  as  much 
time  as  I  shall  need  to  introduce  a  window  into  my 
square  tower.  See,  Monsieur  Goefle,  in  the  first  place 
I  render  it  practicable  by  making  a  slit  in  the  canvas 
with  my  shears,  and  then  I  warm  my  glue  on  the  stove. 
With  this  charcoal  I  sketch  that  row  of  great, boulders. 
Some  of  them  hang  over  —  I  studied  them  carefully,  for 
it  is  a  wonderful  group.  I  give  the  tone  of  ice  to  this 
foreground  —  oh  no,  it  must  be  water,  since  we  are  to 
have  a  boat  —  " 

"  Where  will  you  get  it?  " 

"  In  the  property-box  there.  Don't  you  suppose  I  have 
a  boat?  There  are  ships,  too,  and  carriages,  and  carts, 


276 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


and  all  kinds  of  animals.  I  could  not  get  along  at  all 
without  that  collection  of  profiles  that  are  necessary  in  all 
my  pieces,  and  which  take  up  very  little  room.  Another 
idea,  M.  Goefle  :  I  will  put  the  boat  in  that  vault  under 
the  boulders." 
"What  for?" 

"  Why,  because  it  will  give  us  a  splendid  effect !  We  are 
to  have  a  very  mysterious  birth  for  our  infant,  I  suppose  ?  " 

4  Of  course." 

'  Environed  with  perils  ?  " 

'  Necessarily." 

'A  natural  child?" 

'  As  you  please  about  that." 

'A  jealous  husband?  No,  no  adulterers!  If  this 
does  really  happen  to  be  my  own  story,  I  should  prefer 
not  to  be  the  fruit  of  an  unlaAvful  love.  My  mother  — 
poor  woman,  I  have  perhaps  nothing  with  which  to  re- 
proach her  —  is  saving  me  from  the  vengeance  of  some 
brother  or  savage  uncle,  capable  of  killing  me  in  order  to 
hide  a  discreditable  or  clandestine  marriage."  • 

"Very  good;  I'll  be  the  Spanish  nobleman  —  some 
implacable  uncle  who  is  trying  to  kill  the  child !  The  in- 
nocent creature  is  concealed  in  the  bottom  of  the  lake,  at 
the  risk  of  a  little  drowning,  after  having  been  thrown  out 
of  the  window,  to  save  it  from  all  danger." 

"  Oh,  no,  no,  M.  Goefle  !  you  are  altogether  too  fan- 
tastic !  That  is  not  my  style  at  all.  I  always  maintain 
a  certain  verisimilitude,  even  in  romancing,  for  you  can 
neither  make  people  laugh  nor  cry  with  impossible  situa- 
tions. No,  no,  we  must  have  some  regular  assassins,  as 
ugly  and  grotesque  as  they  can  be  made.  While  they  are 
standing  guard  on  top  of  the  boulders,  watching  the  win- 
dow, the  boat,  which  fortunately  has  already  stealthily 
received  its  precious  charge  —  that's  the  regular  style  — 
glides  noiselessly  along  beneath  the  rocks,  under  the  very 
feet  of  the  unsuspecting  watch.  The  audience  is  affected, 
and  all  the  more  because  it  is  laughing  at  the  same  time 
at  the  faces  of  the  assassins  —  people  like  extremely  to 
laugh  and  cry  at  the  same  time  —  and  the  curtain  falls 
on  the  first  act,  amid  thunders  of  applause  !  " 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


277 


"Excellent,  excellent!"  said  M.  Goefle  ;  "but,  while 
you  are  moving  the  boat,  will  there  be  no  person  at  the 
window  ?  " 

"  Certainly.  Have  I  not  two  hands?  With  the  left  I 
propel  the  skiff  over  the  limpid  waves,  and  with  the  right 
I  hold  up  at  the  window  the  faithful  waiting-woman,  who 
has  lowered  down  the  basket,  and  who  lifts  towards  heaven 
her  pretty  little  wooden  arms  in  an  attitude  of  supplication, 
and  prays  in  a  sweet  voice,  '  Divine  Providence  !  watch 
over  the  child  of  mystery  ! ' ' 

"  Yes,  but  the  mother  ;  is  she  not  to  be  seen?" 

"  No,  that  would  not  be  the  correct  thing." 

"And  the  father?" 

"  The  father  is  in  Palestine.  That  is  the  place  where 
we  always  send  the  people  we  don't  know  what  to  do 
with." 

"That  will  do  very  well ;  but  if  there  are  to  be  assas- 
sins, a  haughty  Castilian  uncle,  and  a  faithful  waiting- 
woman,  Steutarello  must  belong  to  a  noble  family." 

"The  devil!  yes;    how  shall  we  arrange  that?" 

"  It  is  perfectly  easy.  The  child  whom  we  lower  from 
the  window  is  the  young  Alonzo,  son  of  the  duchess. 
Stentarello  is  the  son  of  his  grace's  pastry-cook." 

"But  what  is  the  pastry-cook  to  do?" 

"  I  don't  know.  It's  your  business  to  find  that  out.  If 
you  keep  on  painting  you  won't  help  me  at  all." 

"  But  only  see,  M.  Goefle,  how  beautifully  my  sky  is 
coming  out !  " 

"  Too  much  so  ;  it  is  too  prominent." 

"  You  are  right,  so  it  is  !  What  an  eye  you  have,  M. 
Goefle  !  I  must  bring  up  the  color  of  my  donjon,  then, 
a  little." 

"  That  will  do  very  well.  That  rosy  sky  is  just  about 
right  now,  and  gives  a  very  good  idea  of  the  brilliant 
cloud  effects  that  we  have  here.  But  that  is  not  a  Spanish 
sky,  is  it?  " 

"  Well,  why  not  lay  the  scene  in  Sweden?  " 

"  Oh  dear  me,  no  !  Don't  you  see  that  as  we  have  ar- 
ranged the  play,  particularly  with  that  view  of  Stollborg 
that  you  have  been  painting,  a  certain  comparison  might 


278  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

be  suggested  —  if  you   should  give  your  imagination  free 
play?" 

"  With  the  story  of  the  Baroness  cle  Waldemora?  " 

"  Might  there  not  ?  In  reality  there  would  be  no  sort 
of  similarity,  since  she  had  no  child.  But  there  are  per- 
sons who  might  suppose  that  we  were  representing  the 
pretended  captivity  of  the  Gray  Lady.  No,  Christian, 
lay  the  scene  in  Spain  ;  it  will  do  much  better." 

"  Spain  be  it,  then  !  Well,  the  pastry-cook  has  a  son, 
just  born,  who  is  to  grow  up  into  the  illustrious  Stenta- 
rello.  Now,  the  cook  of  the  chateau,  who  has  sent  to 
this  pastry-cook  by  order  of  the  baron  —  " 

"The  baron?" 

.  "  That  is  your  fault,  you  put  the  baron  into  my  head 
by  talking  of  your  possible  comparisons.  Our  traitor 
must  be  called  Don  Diego,  or  Don  Sancho." 

"  With  all  my  heart.  Now,  the  baron's  cook  — 
There  !  I  am  as  bad  as  you  !  ^Don  Sancho's,  I  mean  — 
what  did  he  send  to  the  pastry-cook?  " 

"  A  magnificent  pie  in  a  basket,  to  be  baked." 

"  I  see,  I  see  !  He  had  placed  this  basket  in  the  boat. 
The  boatman,  employed  to  carry  off  and  preserve  the 
Child  of  Mystery,  does  not  notice  it,  and  thus  carries 
away  two  baskets  ;  then  he  makes  a  mistake,  and  puts  the 
pie  out  to  nui'se,  and  gives  the  pastry-cook  the  baby  to 
bake." 

"  So  the  good  pastry-cook  brings  up  both  the  children, 
or,  rather,  he  mistakes  and  brings  up  the  child  of  the 
duchess.  Thus  there  arise  endless  entanglements,  and 
we  can  go  forward  with  confidence  to  our  denouement. 
Courage,  M.  Goefle  !  the  painting  is  done,  and  now  for  the 
pen  again.  Let  us  arrange  the  scenes.  Scene  First : 
The  cook,  solus." 

"Wait,  Christian!  Why  not  have  the  child  quietly 
carried  down  by  a  staircase?" 

"True,  particularly  as  Stollborg  has  a  secret  staircase, 
but  it  was  watched  by  the  assassins." 

"  Were  they  incorruptible?" 

"  No,  but  the  duchess  is  very  short  of  money,  while  the 
traitor  has  his  pockets  full." 


THE  SNO  W  MAN. 


279 


"  Why  don't  he  go  himself  to  the  tower  where  his^vic- 
tim  is  imprisoned,  and  throw  the  child  out  of  the  window, 
without  so  much  ceremony?" 

"  I  really  don't  know.  We  must  make  it  out  that  the 
child  is  not  yet  born,  and  that  they  are  waiting  for  the 
fatal  moment." 

"  That  will  do  very  well !  The  child,  then,  must  be 
born  at  the  very  moment  th'at  Don  Sancho  enters  the 
donjon  and  ascends  the  stairs.  Paquito,  the  waiting- 
woman,  lowers  down  the  infant  that  has  just  seen  the 
light.  But  tell  me,  is  the  child  to  be  visible?  " 

"  Certainly.  I  am  going  to  paint  it  in  its  cradle. 
There's  a  string  for  the  rope.  All  those  things  are  cut 
out  in  profile  ;  they  are  to  be  seen  from  a  distance." 

"So  the  traitor,  to  his  great  disappointment,  finds  the 
bird  flown.  What  does  he  do?  Shall  we  make  him  fall 
out  of  the  window  and  break  his  skull  on  the  rocks?" 

"  Oh  no  !  Keep  that  for  the  catastrophe  of  the  piece  ; 
it's  a  capital  one." 

"Very  well  then,  in  his  rage  he  kills  his  unhappy  niece. 
A  cry  is  heard,  and  the  murderer  appears  at  the  window, 
exclaiming  :  '  My  honor  is  avenged  ! '  — " 

"His  honor!  I  would  rather  have  him  say:  'My 
fortune  is  made  !  " 

"Why?" 

"  Because  he  is  the  heir  of  the  duchess.  We  must 
not  make  him  a  scoundrel  by  halves,  since  we  are  to 
fracture  his  skull  for  him  at  the  end." 

"That  is  certainly  very  logical,  but  —  " 

"But  what?" 

"Why,  that  would  be  the  exact  history  of  Baron 
Olaus,  as  his  enemies  relate  it.  A  female  relative  im- 
prisoned, who  disappears — " 

"  What  difference  does  it  make,  as  long  as  you  are 
sure  that  the  story  is  not  true  ?  " 

"  I  am  as  sure  as  it  is  possible  to  be  ;  and  yet  —  do 
you  know,  with  your  mysterious  voice,  your  idea  of  a 
prisoner  in  the  vaults  down  below,  your  explanation  of 
my  lust  night's  vision,  and  your  verses  from  the  Bible, 


2go  THE   SNO  W  MAN. 

you  have  made  me  a  perfect  dreamer  ;  my  mind  is  filled 
with  all  sorts  of  strange  notions." 

"But  as  there  is  eveiy  reason  to  believe  that  these 
notions  are  nothing  more  than  the  work  of  our  own  imag- 
inations, we  shall  run  no  risk  of  offending  any  one. 
And  besides,  M.  Goefle,  even  if,  under  my  mask  and 
with  my  assumed  name  of  Christian  Waldo,  I  should 
awaken  unpleasant  memories  in  the  baron's  mind,  please 
to  tell  me  what  difference  that  will  make  to  me  ?  or  to 
you  either,  since  you  will  be  perfectly  incognito  as  well 
as  myself —  " 

"  But  it  will  be  easy  for  the  baron  to  have  me  watched 
and  discovered  ;  — he  has  only  to  give  orders  to  some  of 
those  rascally  servants  of  his  —  " 

"  Oh,  if  you  are  to  b*e  exposed  to  any  real  danger,  let 
us  give  it  up  at  once  ;  but  in  that  case  we  must  choose 
another  subject  immediately." 

M.  Goefle  was  silent,  and  absorbed  in  thought  for  some 
moments,  greatly  to  the  annoyance  of  the  impatient 
Christian,  who  saw  with  anxiety  the  steady  advance  of 
the  hands  of  the  clock.  At  last,  the  advocate,  striking 
his  forehead,  and  jumping  up  with  a  certain  nervous  ex- 
citement of  manner,  cried  out,  as  he  began  to  pace  rapidly 
up  and  down  the  room  : 

"Well,  well!  Who  can  say  that  I  am  not  shrinking 
from  the  pursuit  of  the  real  truth  ?  Shall  I  be  a  mere 
cowardly  courtier  of  this  problematical  being?  Is  it  not 
iny  duty  to  satisfy  myself  once  for  all?  Shall  I  let  it  be 
said  that  an  adventurer — let  me  rather  say  a  good  and 
handsome  child  of  fortune,  who  most  surely  deserves  a 
better  fate  —  that  he,  in  his  heedless  career,  is  courageous 
enough  to  defy  a  powerful  enemy,  while  I,  dedicated  by 
my  very  office  to  the  service  of  the  truth,  the  appointed 
defender  of  human  and  divine  justice,  allow  myself  to  be 
lulled  to  sleep  by  a  selfish  indolence,  not  far  removed 
from  cowardice?  Christian,"  added  M.  Goefle,  resuming 
his  seat,  but  still  with  much  excitement  of  manner,  "  go 
on  to  the  second  act !  Let  us  make  a  terrible  thing  of  it ! 
Let  your  marionettes  cover  themselves  with  glory  !  They 
shall  be  real  persons,  living  beings,  'instruments  of  des- 


THE   SNOW  MAN.  281 

tiny,  like  the  players  in  the  tragedy  of  Hamlet,  who  ter- 
rify and  make  pale  the  triumphant  criminal,  who  is 
finally  unmasked.  Come,  to  work  !  Suppose  —  suppose 
all  the  crimes  which  are  charged  against  the  baron  ;  that 
he  poisoned  his  father,  assassinated  his  brother,  and 
starved  his  sister-in-law  to  death." 

"  Precisely  ;  in  this  room,  too  !  "  said  Christian,  who 
was  thinking  of  the  scenery  for  his  third  act.  '  "  What 
a  capital  scene  it  will  make  !  We  must  make  the  child 
—  the  son  of  the  duchess,  of  course — comeback  at  the 
end  of  twenty-five  years,  to  search  out  the  truth  and  punish 
the  murderer !  We  can  make  the  marionettes  bi'eak 
down  the  mysterious  wall,  and  discover  there  —  behind 
that  brick-work  —  I  could  very  quickly  get  up  the  scenery 
for  that,  I  should  have  time  enough — " 

"Discover  what?"  asked  M.  Goefle. 

"I  don't  know,"  replied  Christian,  suddenly  becom- 
ing thoughtful,  and  even  gloomy.  "The  ideas  that  occur 
to  me  are  so  terrible,  that  I  must  give  up  that  part  of 
the  plot ;  it  takes  aAvay  all  my  inspiration  ;  and,  instead 
of  continuing  the  piece,  I  should  have  to  go  and  break 
down  that  wall  myself,  out  of  a  mere  rage  of  curiosity  — " 

"Come,  come,  friend  Christian,  don't  go  crazy !  It  is 
quite  enough  if  I  am  so ;  this  whole  thing  is  nothing 
but  imagination,  and  I  cannot  conscientiously  attach 
weight  to  suspicions  which  perhaps  originate  only  in 
an  overworked  stomach,  or  a  brain  restless  from  inac- 
tion. Come,  finish  the  piece,  and  let  it  be  inoffensive  if 
it  is  to  be  amusing.  For  my  part,  I  must  do  a  little 
work  for  myself;  I  have  a  portfolio'  of  papers  to  exam- 
ine that  Stenson  gave  me,  and  I  must  prepare  a  definite 
opinion  upon  them,  for  I  promised  the  baron  this  morn- 
ing to  have  it  ready,  and  he  may  send  for  it  at  any 
moment." 

Christian  accordingly  set  to  work  at  his  drama,  and 
M.  Goefle  at  his  parcel  of  papers,  each  at  the  end  of  a  long 
table,  to  the  middle  of  which  they  had  pushed  the  break- 
fast dishes.  Ulphilas  now  entered,  and  silently  began  to 
rearrange  the  table.  He  was  in  his  usual  state  of  half- 
conscious  drunkenness,  and  shortly  lie  entered  upon  a 


282  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

long  discussion  with  M.  Goefle,  which  Christian  neither 
understood  nor  heard,  as  to  the  merits  of  a  certain  soup 
of  milk,  beer  and  syrup,  a  national  dish,  which  M. 
Goefle  wanted  for  supper,  and  which  Ulphilas  claimed  to 
prepare  as  skilfully  as  any  man  in  Sweden.  By  the 
promise  of  this  delicacy  he  disarmed  the  anger  of  the 
lawyer,  who  had  scolded  him  for  getting  his  little  valet 
tipsy.  Ulphilas,  besides,  swore  he  did  not  know  what 
M.  Goefle  meant,  and  perhaps  in  good  faith,  considering 
the  steady  coolness  with  which  he  himself  carried  all 
kinds  of  liquors. 

By  six  o'clock,  Christian  had  completed  his  task, 
while  M.  Goefle,  who  seemed  restless  and  agitated,  was 
still  at  work.  As  Christian  happened  to  look  towards 
him,  he  noticed  the  fixed  and  abstracted  expression  of 
his  eyes.  Supposing  that  this  might  be  the  lawyer's 
usual  appearance  while  at  his  work,  he  abstained  for  a 
time  from  interrupting  him,  but  finally  thought  it  neces- 
sary to  ask.  which  he  did  a  little  uneasily,  if  he  would 
not  read  the  outline  of  the  piece. 

"Yes,  certainly,"  said  M.  Goefle  ;  "but  why  not  read 
it  over  to  me  ?  " 

"Impossible,  M.  Goefle.  I  must  select  my  actors, 
arrange  their  costumes  in  some  sort  of  harmony,  collect 
my  scenes,  load  my  ass,  and  hurry  over  to  the  new  cha- 
teau, so  as  to  take  possession  of  the  quarters  intended 
for  us,  set  up  the  theatre,  arrange  the  lights,  etc.  I  have 
not  a  moment  to  lose  ;  we  must  begin  at  eight  o'clock.*' 

"Eight  o'clock?  The  devil!  What  a  detestable 
hour  !  They  don't  have  supper  at  the  chateau  until  ten 
o'clock,  and  pray  when  shall  we  have  our  supper?" 

"  Oh,  to  be  sure  !  The  fifth  meal  of  the  day  !  "  cried 
Christian,  in  despair,  but  rapidly  continuing  his  prepa- 
rations. "For  heaven's  sake,  M.  Goefle,  have  your 
supper  now,  and  be  ready  an  hour  from  this  time  !  You 
can  read  over  the  piece  while  you  are  eating." 

"  Oh,  of  course  !  A  fine  regimen  you  propose  !  To 
eat  without  an  appetite,  and  to  read  in  the  meanwhile, 
so  as  to  make  it  impossible  for  me  to  digest  my  food." 

"Very  well ;  then  let  us  think  no  more  about  it!  I'll 


THE  SNOW  MAN.  283 

try  to  get  along  by  myself.  I'll  do  my  best !  Pshaw  ! 
Some  good  angel  or  other  will  come  to  my  rescue." 

"No,  no!"  cried  M.  Goefle  ;  "by  no  means!  I'll 
be  the  good  angel.  I  promised  you  ;  and  I'm  a  man  of 
my  word." 

"No,  M.  Goefle ;  I  thank  you,  however,  all  the  same. 
You  are  not  used  to  the  business.  It  will  not  suit  a 
reasonable  man  like  you  to  interrupt  your  important 
business  to  put  a  fool's  cap  on  your  head !  It  was  indis- 
creet in  me  to  think  of  such  a  thing." 

"What!"  exclaimed  M.  Goefle.  "Pray  what  do 
you  take  me  for?  A  mere  babbler,  who  makes  prom- 
ises that  he  knows  he  can't  keep  ;  or  an  old  pedant,  who 
don't  know  enough  to  talk  good  nonsense  ?  " 

Christian  saw  that  the  best  way  to  keep  the  lawyer 
up  to  the  enterprise  was  to  oppose  him,  and  that  the 
worthy  gentleman  was  really  very  much  in  earnest  in  his 
scheme  of  transforming  himself  into  a  merry-andrew, 
without  any  more  preparation  than  Christian  himself 
required.  He  continued,  therefore,  to  maintain  his  show 
of  reluctance  as  to  accepting  his  services,  and  did  not 
leave  him  until  he  was  almost  vexed  at  Christian's 
doubts,  besides  being  fully  resolved,  and,  indeed,  all  on 
fire  to  fulfil  his  engagement ;  even  although  he  should 
have  to  eat  his  milk-and-beer  soup  without  an  appetite, 
and  no  matter  how  tremendous  the  violation  of  all  his 
customary  habits. 

Christian  had  proceeded  half  way  from  Stollborg  to 
"Waldemora,  when  he  suddenly  found  himself  face  to 
face  with  a  sort  of  black  phantom,  speeding  over  the  ice 
with  uneven  leaps.  It  required  but  a  moment's  thought 
to  recognize  M.  Stangstadius,  who,  like  himself,  was  car- 
rying a  small  dark  lantern,  and  who  was  evidently  pre- 
paring to  accost  him.  Feeling  very  confident  that  he 
would  not  be  recognized  by  a  person  so  oblivious  of 
others,  he  thought  it  unnecessary  to  put  down  his  mask, 
or  to  change  his  voice  in  answering  him. 

"  Hallo,  my  friend !  "  called  out  the  man  of  science, 
without  even  condescending  to  look  at  him;  "do  you 
come  from  Stollborg?" 


284  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"  Did  you  see  Dr.  Goefle  there?" 

"  No,  monsieur,"  replied  Christian,  who  saw  at  once 
how  dangerous  to  his"  colleague's  good  resolutions  the  pro- 
fessor's visit  might  prove. 

"  What ! "  said  Stangstadius  ;  "  Dr.  Goefle  not  at  Stoll- 
borg?  He  told  me  he  was  lodging  there." 

"  He  was,"  said  Christian,  with  great  coolness,  "  but 
he  left  for  Stockholm  two  hours  ago." 

"Left ?  Left  without  waiting  for  my  visit,  when  I  told 
him  this  very  morning  that  I  would  come  and  take  sup- 
per with  him  at  the  old  tower?  It's  impossible." 

"  He  must  have  forgotten  it." 

"  Forgotten  !  Forgotten  that  /was  coming  to  see  him. 
That's  a  likely  story,  indeed  !  " 

"Well,  sir,"  said  Christian,  "  you  can  go  over  there  if 
you  choose.  You  will  find  neither  supper  nor  company." 

"  Well,  then,  I  must  give  it  up.  But  it's  the  most  ex- 
traordinary thing.  That  poor  Goefle  must  have  gone 
crazy !  " 

Turning  about,  M.  Stangstadius  walked  along  by  the 
side  of  Christian,  who  continued  on  towards  the  chateau  ; 
but  in  a  few  seconds  the  philosopher,  on  reflection, 
changed  his  purpose,  and,  talking  aloud  to  himself  after 
his  fashion,  said : 

"  So,  Goefle  has  gone  off!  Well,  he's  a  scatter-brained, 
extravagant  fellow.  But  there's  that  nephew  of  his  —  for 
he  has  a  nephew  —  a  charming  young  man  and  a  capital 
talker.  He  must  have  told  him  that  I  was  coming,  and 
he  no  doubt  is  waiting  for  me.  I  must  go  over  ;  certainly 
I  must ! " 

Stopping  abruptly,  he  turned  to  Christian  : 

"  See  here,  friend,"  he  cried,  "  I  have  made  up  my 
mind  to  go  to  Stollborg  after  all,  and  as  I  have  been 
walking  a  great  deal  to-day  in  the  snow,  I  am  extremely 
tired.  Lend  me  your  pony,  will  you?" 

"  It  would  give  me  great  pleasure  to  do  so,  monsieur ; 
but  if  you  are  proposing  to  go  there  after  M.  Goefle's 
nephew  —  " 

"  Certainly,  yes  ;  Christian    Goefle,   that's  his  name. 


THE  SNOW 'MAN.  285 

Did  you  see  him  ?  You  are  one  of  the  servants  at  Stoll- 
borg,  I  suppose.  Very  well,  go  back  there  with  me. 
Give  me  the  beast,  walk  on  ahead,  and  tell  them  to  pre- 
pare supper.  That's  a  good  idea." 

Thereupon  M.  Stangstadius,  without  troubling  himself 
to  wait  for  leave  from  Christian,  undertook  to  mount 
Jean,  whom  he  persisted  in  taking  for  a  horse,  and  whose 
.small  stature  and  quiet  pace  had  impressed  him  very 
favorably.  As  to  his  load,  he  paid  no  sort  of  attention 
to  that,  although  it  was  very  effectually  in  his  way. 

"  Let  the  beast  alone,  will  you  !  "  said  Christian,  an- 
noyed at  his  obstinacy.  "  M.  Goefle's  nephew  went  away 
with  his  uncle,  and  Stollborg  is  shut  up  like  a  prison." 

"  The  young  man  gone  too !  "  cried  Stangstadius,  in 
the  greatest  amazement.  "  Mon  Dieu  !  some  great  mis- 
fortune must  have  happened  in  that  family,  or  both  uncle 
and  nephew  would  never  have  forgotten  my  promise. 
But  they  must,  anyhow,  have  left  a  letter  for  me,  and  I'll 
go  and  get  it." 

"They  did  not  leave  any  letter,"  said  Christian,  be- 
thinking him  of  a  new  expedient ;  "  they  directed  me  to 
say  to  some  person  of  the  name  of  Stangstadius  at  the 
new  chateau  that  they  had  been  obliged  to  go  away. 
That  is  why  I  am  going  to  the  new  chateau." 

"  Person  of  the  name  of  Stangstadius  !  "  cried  the  in- 
sulted philosopher  ;  "  is  that  what  they  said?  " 

"  No,  monsieur  ;  that  is  what  I  said.  I  don't  know 
this  M.  Stangstadius,  myself." 

"Ah,  you  said  it,  did  you,  you  idiot?  Person  of  the 
name  of  Stangstadius,  indeed !  Don't  know  him  your- 
self, you  great  beast !  Good,  by  George  !  I  like  that ! 
Very  well,  learn  to  know  me,  then.  I  am  the  first  nat- 
uralist— But  what's  the  use?  Such  monstrous  ignora- 
muses as  one  finds  on  this  poor  earth  !  Stop  your  horse, 
you  animal !  Did  I  not  tell  you  I  wanted  to  ride  ?  I'm 
tired,  I  say.  Do  you  suppose  I  don't  know  how  to  man- 
age any  kind  of  beast  whatever?" 

"  Come,  come,  M.  Naturalist,"  said  Christian,  with 
perfect  coolness,  although  feeling  very  much  annoyed  at 
this  interview,  which  was  delaying  him  so  unexpectedly ; 


286  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

"  don't  you  see  that  the  poor  creature  is  loaded  up  to  his 
eyes  already  ?  " 

"What  of  that?  Unload  him,  I  say!  you  can  come 
back  for  your  load." 

"  Impossible.     I  can't  spare  the  time." 

"What!  you  disobey  me?  What  sort  of  savage  are 
you?  You  are  the  first  Swedish  peasant  who  ever  re- 
fused to  assist  Dr.  Stangstadius.  I  will  inform  against 
you,  miserable  rascal,  I  give  you  my  word.  I'll  com- 
plain of  you ! " 

"  To  whom  ?     The  Baron  de  Waldemora  ?  " 

"  No,  for  he  would  have  you  hung  ;  and  good  enough 
for  you,  too.  But  I  am  kind-hearted  ;  I  want  you  to  un- 
derstand that.  I  am  the  best  man  alive,  and  I  forgive 
you." 

"Nonsense!"  said  Christian,  who  could  not  help  at 
times  diverting  himself  a  little  with  the  strange  persons 
whom  he  encountered  in  his  wandering  life.  "I  don't 
know  you,  and  I  strongly  suspect  that  you  are  not  the 
person  you  claim  to  be.  You  a  naturalist !  Out  upon 
you  !  You  can't  even  tell  a  horse  from  an  ass." 

"An  ass?"  said  Stangstadius,  diverted  at  once,  for- 
tunately, from  his  whim  of  equitation  ;  "do  you  pretend 
to  have  an  ass  there?" 

He  inspected  Jean  with  his  lantern ;  but  thanks  to 
Christian's  solicitude,  the  animal  was  so  well  wrapped 
up  in  skins  of  various  kinds,  that  it  pi'esented  a  most  fan- 
tastic appearance. 

"An  ass?  It  can't  be!  An  ass  could  not  live  in  this 
latitude.  What  you,  in  your  brutal  ignorance,  call  an 
ass,  is  nothing  more  than  some  kind  of  mule  at  the  most ! 
Come,  let  me  see  it ;  —  take  off  those  borrowed  skins  —  " 

"  Hold,  monsieur  !"  said  Christian  ;  "  whether  Stang- 
stadius or  not,  you  have  tired  me  out.  I  can't  talk  with 
you  any  longer.  Good-evening." 

With  that,  he  tickled  the  legs  of  the  faithful  Jean  with 
a  switch ;  the  animal  broke  into  a  trot,  and  the  two 
quickly  left  the  philosopher  behind  them.  But  soon, 
Christian,  who  was  always  good-natured,  felt  a  sort  of  re- 
morse for  his  rudeness.  As  he  reached  the  edge  of  the 


THE  SNOW  MAN.  287 

lake,  he  looked  back,  and  saw  the  poor  doctor  of  sciences 
following  oil  with  much  difficulty,  and  many  slips  and 
tumbles.  He  must  really  have  been  very  much  fatigued 
to  have  been  at  all  conscious  of  it,  for  his  identity  was 
concentrated  in  his  brains  and  in  his  tongue ;  and  still 
more  to  have  confessed  it :  for  he  claimed  to  be  the  most 
robust  man  of  the  age. 

"If  his  strength  should  fail  him,"  thought  Christian, 
"he  might  lie  down  there  on  the  ice,  and,  in  this  region, 
a  moment's  sleep  out  of  doors  on  such  a  night  as  this 
would,  perhaps,  be  fatal — particulary  to  a  feeble  being 
like  that.  Come,  stand  still,  Jean  !  wait  for  me." 

He  hastened  towards  M.  Stangstadius,  who  had,  in  fact, 
come  to  a  halt,  and  was  perhaps  revising  his  determina- 
tion of  going  to  dine  at  Stollborg.  At  this  idea,  Chris- 
tian redoubled  his  speed  ;  but  Stangstadius,  who  was  not 
always  so  brave  as  he  pretended,  and  who  had  conceived 
strong  prejudices  against  a  person  so  little  inclined  to 
bow  down  before  his  greatness  as  his  late  companion,  in- 
stantly suspected  him  of  the  worst  designs  against  his 
own  person  ;  and,  recovering  his  strength,  he  set  off  to- 
wards Stollborg  as  hard  as  he  could  go.  But  this  did 
not  suit  Christian  at  all,  and  he  began  to  run  also,  and 
quickly  came  up  with  him. 

"Wretch!"  cried  the  learned  man  in  a  broken  voice, 
for  his  terror  and  exhaustion  had  reached  a  climax,  "you 
mean  to  kill  me,  I  know  !  Yes,  my  enemies  have  hired 
you  to  extinguish  the  very  light  of  the  world !  Let  me 
alone,  you  miserable  scoundpel !  don't  touch  me  !  Think 
who  it  is  that  you  are  about  to  lay  hands  on  ! " 

"  Come,  come  !  compose  yourself,  M.  Stangstadius," 
said  Christian,  laughing  at  his  terror  ;  "  and  have  a  bet- 
ter appreciation  of  people  who  want  to  do  you  a  service ! 
Come,  get  on  my  back,  and  be  quick  about  it ;  I  am  all 
in  a  perspiration  with  running  after  you,  and  I  don't 
want  to  stay  here  and  take  cold," 

Stangstadius  complied,  though  with  a  good  deal  of  re- 
luctance, but  he  was  relieved  when  he  saw  how  easily 
the  powerful  young  man  lifted  him,  and  carried  him 
ashore.  There,  Christian  placed  him  on  his  feet,  and 


2S8  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

hastened  forward,  to  escape  his  generosity ;  for,  in  his 
gratitude,  the  worthy  Stangstadius  was  rummaging  his 
pockets  for  a  two-sou  piece,  convinced  that  this  would  be 
a  royal  gift  for  one  who  had  had  the  happiness  of  ren- 
dering him  a  service. 


IX. 

/^HRISTTAN  left  the  professor  to  proceed  towards  the 
^-/  main  entrance  of  the  chateau,  while  he  himself 
sought  the  side  door,  which  in  all  feudal  manors  leads 
to  the  courts  and  outer  buildings.  Drawing  down  his 
mask,  he  called  a  servant,  who  helped  him  unload  ;  and 
then,  after  seeing  that  his  ass  was  suitably  accommodated, 
he  ascended  a  private  staircase  leading  to  the  apart- 
ment of  M.  Johan,  the  major-domo  of  the  new  chateau. 
The  latter  did  not  wait  for  him  to  announce  himself. 

"Ah  !  Ah  !  The  man  in  a  black  mask,"  he  exclaimed, 
in  a  benevolent  and  patronizing  tone.  "So,  you  are  the 
famous  Christian  Waldo  !  Come  along,  my  good  fellow, 
I'll  take  you  to  your  quarters  myself,  and  you  can  make 
all  your  preparations  at  your  leisure ;  you  have  a  full 
hour  yet." 

Assistance  was  now  given  to  transfer  Christian's  bag- 
gage to  the  room  which  was  to  serve  him  as  a  green- 
room, and  at  his  request  the  keys  were  put  into  his 
hands.  Then  he  shut  himself  up  alone,  and  having  re- 
moved his  mask  to  be  more  at  his  ease,  set  to  work  to 
mount  his  theatre,  though  not  without  some  rubbing  of 
his  shoulders.  M.  Stangstadius  was  not  very  heavy,  but 
his  deformed  body  was  so  singularly  angular,  that  lie  felt 
as  if  he  had  been  carrying  a  great  bundle  of  crooked 
sticks. 

He  had  been  shown  into  a  small  saloon,  in  which  there 
were  two  doors,  one  opening  upon  a  passage  leading  to  the 
private  staircase  by  which  Christian  had  just  entered,  es- 
corted by  the  affable  major-domo,  and  the  other  upon  the 
end  of  a  large  and  richly-decorated  gallery,  called  the 


THE  SNOW  MAN.  289 

Hunting-gallery,  where  Christian  had  met  Margaret  the 
night  before.  The  theatre  was  to  stand  just  within  the 
gallery  before  this  door  (it  was  a  large  folding-door),  and 
the  spectators  Avere  to  be  accommodated  within  the  gal- 
lery itself.  Christian,  upon  measuring  the  width  of  the 
door-way,  found  that  the  theatre  would  just  extend  across 
it ;  so  that  when  the  whole  was  in  order,  he  would  be  per- 
fectly isolated  from  his  audience,  and  quite  at  home  in  his 
little  saloon.  This  arrangement,  therefore,  was  an  excel- 
lent one  for  securing  his  own  freedom  of  movement,  and 
his  incognito,  as  well  as  that  of  M.  Goefle. 

From  the  number  of  arm-chairs  and  other  seats  dis- 
posed in  front  of  the  theatre,  Christian  judged  by  a  short 
estimate,  without  counting  in  detail,  that  his  audience 
would  consist  of  about  a  hundred  persons  conveniently 
seated,  ladies  probably — and  of  a  hundred  gentlemen, 
more  or  less  of  whom  would  have  to  stand  behind  them. 
The  gallery  was  wide,  and  of  unusual  depth,  so  that  it 
was,  on  the  whole,  the  most  convenient  place  in  which 
Christian  had  ever  exhibited.  The  vaulted  and  frescoed 
ceiling  made  its  acoustic  properties  perfect ;  the  chan- 
deliers, which  were  already  burning,  gave  an  excellent 
light,  and  by  merely  lighting  up  the  wings  of  the  portable 
theatre,  the  dimensions  of  its  little  stage  assumed  exactly 
the  appearance  of  depth  which  it  required. 

Christian  made  all  his  preparations  with  the  most  crit- 
ical care.  He  was  really  fond  of  his  little  theatre,  and 
had  adapted  to  it  a  number  of  ingenious  contrivances 
which  made  it  something  like  a  miniature  of  a  real  the- 
atre. He  would,  in  fact,  have  been  successful  as  a 
painter  of  interiors  and  of  landscape,  if  the  love  of  the 
natural  sciences  had  not  occasioned  him  to  confine  him- 
self mostly  to  mere  decorative  work ;  but  his  natural 
gifts  were  so  good,  that  he  could  scarcely  "execute  even 
work  intrinsically  frivolous,  without  giving  it  the  distinct 
impress  'of  his  own  gracefiil  and  tasteful  originality. 
His  little  scenes  were  accordingly  fresh  and  charming  in 
design,  and  always  produced  an  agreeable  eifect.  He 
took  the  greatest  pains  with  them,  especially  when  he 
was  going  to  exhibit  before  an  intelligent  audience  ;  and 


THE   SNO  W  MAN. 

if  he  occasionally  felt  impatient  at  having  to  spend  so 
much  time  over  such  details,  he  consoled  himself  by  re- 
calling the  favorite  axiom  of  Goffredi:  "Whatever  is 
worth  doing  at  all  is  worth  doing  as  well  as  possible, 
even  if  it  is  only  whittling  toothpicks." 

Christian,  therefore,  was  completely  absorbed  in  mak- 
ing his  preparations.  Having  cast  a  precautionary  glance 
around  the  deserted  gallery,  he  set  up  the  frame  of  his 
theatre  experimentally  in  the  door-way  with  all  the 
scenery  and  lights,  and,  stepping  out  into  the  audience- 
room,  he  seated  himself  in  the  best  place  to  judge  of  the 
effect  of  his  perspective,  so  that  he  might  adjust  properly 
the  entrances  and  movements  of  his  actors. 

The  two  or  three  minutes'  rest  thus  obtained  was  very 
welcome  to  him.  He  was  more  or  less  hardened  to  the 
extremes  of  all  climates,  but  he  found  that  in  the  over- 
heated rooms  of  the  houses  of  the  north,  he  quickly  felt 
fatigued.  He  had  slept  the  night  before  only  a  few 
hours,  in  his  arm-chair  ;  and  either  from  the  exhausting 
experiences  of  the  day,  or  from  his  walk  on  the  ice  with 
a  professor  of  geology  on  his  shoulders,  he  was  overtaken 
by  a  sudden  and  irresistible  drowsiness,  and  sank  into 
one  of  those  brief  naps,  in  which  the  transition  from  the 
world  of  reality  to  dream-land  is  so  sudden  as  to  be  im- 
perceptible. He  seemed  to  be  in  a  garden,  on  a  warm 
summer's  day,  and  to  hear  the  sand  in  one  of  the  paths 
near  him  crackling  under  a  stealthy  tread.  Some  one 
was  cautiously  approaching  ;  and  although  he  could  not 
see  the  person,  he  felt  an  intuitive  certainty  that  it  was 
Margaret.  He  awoke  without  being  startled,  on  feeling 
what  seemed  to  be  a  breath  stirring  in  his  hair.  Quickly 
recovering  himself,  he  jumped  up  and  found  that  his 
mask  had  fallen  off  and  lay  at  his  feet.  He  stooped  to 
pick  it  up,  without  turning  round  to  see  who  had  wakened 
him,  and  was  startled  in  good  earnest,  when  a  man's 
voice,  only  too  well  known  to  him,  remarked : 

"It  is  perfectly  useless  to  hide  your  face,  Christian 
Waldo ;  I  have  recognized  you.  You  are  Chi-istian 
Goffredi." 

Christian,  astonished,  turned,  and  saw  standing  before 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


291 


him,  in  good  condition,  well-dressed,  and  fresh  shaved, 
no  other  than  Guido  Massarelli. 

"What!  Is  this  you?"  he  exclaimed.  "What  are 
you  doing  here,  when  you  ought  to  be  dangling  at  the 
end  of  a  rope,  at  the  meeting  of  four  cross-roads,  in  some 
wood." 

"  I  am  one  of  the  household,"  said  Guido,  smiling 
calmly  and  disdainfully. 

"You  one  of  the  baron's  household?  Ah,  to  be  sure  ! 
It  does  not  surprise  me.  After  being  a  swindler,  and  a 
highway  robber,  what  remained  except  for  you  to  be- 
come a  lackey  ?  " 

"  I  am  not  a  lackey,"  replied  Massarelli,  with  the 
same  composure  ;  "I  am  a  friend  of  the  family.  Quite 
an  intimate  fHend,  Christian,  and  you  would  do  well, 
moreover,  to  try  and  be  on  good  terms  with  me.  It 
would  be  the  greatest  piece  of  good  fortune  that  could  be- 
fall you." 

"  Master  Guido,"  said  Christian,  as  he  moved  his 
theatre  back  into  the  inner  saloon,  "  it  is  unnecessary  to 
have  an  explanation  now  ;  but  I  am  glad  to  know  that 
you  are  staying  here,  where  I  shall  be  able  to  find  you." 

"  Is  that  a  threat,  Christian?" 

"  No,  it  is  a  promise.  I  am  in  your  debt,  as  you  know 
very  well,  my  dear  friend,  and  as  soon  as  I  have  paid  off 
my  indebtedness  here  —  that  will  be  done  as  soon  as  I 
have  given  an  exhibition  of  marionettes  an  hour  from 
this  time  —  I  shall  make  it  my  business  to  settle  my  ac- 
count with  you,  by  giving  you  the  very  best  flogging  you 
ever  had  in  your  life." 

While  speaking,  Christian  passed  back  into  the  green- 
room, and  began  patting  out  his  lights  and  dropping  his 
curtain.  Massarelli  followed,  closing  the  doors  of  the 
gallery  as  he  did  so  ;  and  Christian,  whose  back  was 
necessarily  turned  towards  him  at  that  moment,  said  to 
himself  that  this  bandit  would  be  very  likely  to  make  use 
of  his  advantage  to  try  and  assassinate  him.  Still,  he 
despised  him  too  much  to  show  any  distrust,  and  he  went 
on  threatening  him  with  a  severe  chastisement  for  his 
crimes,  in  a  tone  as  calm  as  that  assumed  by  the  rascal 


292 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


himself.  Fortunately  for  the  imprudent  Christian,  Guido 
was  by  no  means  a  courageous  man,  and  kept  his  dis- 
tance, ready  to  retreat  in  case  his  adversary  should  seem 
disposed  to  make  a  present  payment  on  account. 

"  Come,  Christian,"  he  began  again,  when  he  supposed 
the  young  man  might  have  given  vent  to  his  first  out- 
break of  resentment,  "let  us  have  a  reasonable  conversa- 
tion before  'proceeding  to  extremities.  I  am  perfectly 
ready  to  give  you  satisfaction  for  all  my  transactions  with 
you,  and  you  have  no  right  to  insult  with  idle  words  a 
man  whom  you  knoAv  you  cannot  terrify." 

"  What  a  pitiful  fellow  you  are  !  "  said  Christian,  be- 
ginning to  be  angry,  and  walking  straight  up  to  him. 
"Satisfaction  from  you,  you  prince  of  cowards?  Oh  no, 
Guido !  the  way  to  do  with  a  fellow  like  you  is  to  slap 
him  in  the  face,  and,  if  he  resists,  to  beat  him  like  a  dog : 
nobody  ever  fights  with  him  ;  you  must  know  that.  So 
drop  your  high  tone,  you  scoundrel,  and  don't  dare  look 
me  in  the  face  !  Down  with  you,  on  your  knees,  before 
me,  or  I'll  strike  you  this  very  moment !  " 

Guido,  as  pale  as  death,  fell  on  his  knees  without  a 
word,  while  great  tears,  either  of  fear,  or  shame,  or  rage, 
rolled  down  his  cheeks. 

"Very  good,"  said  Christian,  half  in  disgust  and  half 
in  pity  ;  "now  get  up  aud  go.  I  pardon  you,  but  never 
voluntarily  cross  my  path  again  ;  and  if  we  chance  to 
meet,  no  matter  where,  don't  venture  to  speak  to  me. 
For  me,  you  are  dead.  Out  with  you,  lackey !  This 
room  is  mine  for  two  or  three  hours." 

"  Christian,"  cried  Guido,  rising,  and  speaking  with  a 
vehemence  affected  or  sincere,  as  the  case  maybe,  "hear 
me  for  only  five  minutes." 

"  No." 

"  Christian,  listen  to  me  !  "  persisted  the  bandit,  step- 
ping before  the  door  of  the  staircase,  which  Christian  was 
about  to  throw  open  ;  "I  have  something  of  importance 
to  tell  you  —  something  upon  which  your  fortune  and 
your  life  depend." 

"My  fortune,"  said  Christian,  laughing  contemptu- 
ously, "went  into  your  pocket,  you  thief!  It  was  so  little 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


293 


that  I  don't  care  much  about  it,  either  way.  And  as  to 
my  life,  try  and  take  it,  if  you  think  best." 

"  It  has  bee*n  in  my  hands,  Christian,"  said  Guido, 
who,  as  soon  as  he  was  assured  of  his  enemy's  generosity, 
had  recovered  all  his  assurance  ;  "possibly  it  may  be  so 
again.  You  had  outraged  me,  and  I  was  strongly  tempted 
by  opportunity  to  revenge  myself;  but  I  could  not  forget 
that  I  had  once  loved  you  ;  and  even  now,  in  spite  of  your 
additional  insults,  it  only  depends  upon  you  to  have  me 
love  you  as  much  as  ever." 

"  Many  thanks,"  replied  Christian,  shrugging  his 
shoulders  ;  "  come,  away  with  you  !  I  have  no  time  to 
listen  to  your  pathetic  drivelling ;  I  have  known  it  by 
heart  this  long  time." 

"  I'm  not  so  guilty  as  you  think,  Christian.  When  I 
robbed  you  in  the  Carpathians  it  was  out  of  my  power  to 
do  otherwise." 

"  That  is  just  what  everybody  says  who  has  surren- 
dered himself  to  the  devil." 

"  I  had  surrendered  myself  to  the  devil,  it  is  very  true, 
for  I  was  the  chief  of  a  band  of  robbers.  My  comrades 
had  marked  you  out  for  a  victim  ;  their  eyes  were  upon 
us,  and,  if  I  had  not  taken  good  care  to  drug  you,  so  as 
to  prevent  a  useless  resistance,  they  would  have  killed 
you." 

"  Then  I  am  under  obligations  to  you.  Is  that  what 
you  are  driving  at  ?  " 

"  That  is  it,  exactly.  I  am  now  in  a  fair  way  to  make 
my  fortune.  Even  to-morrow  I  shall  be  in  a  position  to 
restore  all  that  I  took  from  you  —  forced  to  do  so  by  men 
whom  I  could  not  control  as  I  wished.  A  few  days  later 
they  robbed  me  myself,  and  left  me  in  exactly  the  same 
case  in  which  you  were  left." 

"  They  did  quite  right.     You  richly  deserved  it." 

"  Christian,  do  you  remember  the  amount  that  was 
taken  from  you  ?  " 

"  Perfectly." 

"  And  shall  you  be  at  Stollborg  to-morrow?" 

"  I  don't  know.     It  does  not  concern  you,  either." 


294 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


"  As  you  please.  But  to-morrow  I  shall  bring  you  the 
money." 

"  Spare  yourself  the  trouble.  I  am  af  home  at  Stoll- 
borg,  and  /  do  not  receive." 

"  But  yet  —  " 

"  Silence  !  I  have  heard  you  long  enough." 

"  But  if  I  bring  you  the  money  —  " 

"  The  same  sum  that  you  took  from  me?  No,  I  pre- 
sume not !  You  drank  that  out  a  long  time  ago.  Well, 
then,  as  the  money  you  speak  of  can't  be  the  same,  and 
as  it  must  be  the  proceeds  of  some  theft,  or  of  something 
worse,  if  possible,  I  don't  want  it.  Please  to  take  that 
for  granted,  and  don't  trouble  yourself  with  any  more 
talk  about  restitution.  I  am  not  fool  enough  to  believe 
you,  and  if  I  did,  I  should  promise  you  just  as  faithfully 
as  I  now  do,  to  throw  the  price  of  your  vile  exploits  into 
your  face." 

Christian  was  on  the  point  of  thrusting  Guido  out,  but 
the  latter  yielded  at  last,  and  went.  The  exhibitor  Avas 
about  to  close  the  door  again,  when  M.  Goefle,  all  cov- 
ered up  in  furs,  appeared,  ascending  the  stairs,  manuscript 
in  hand.  The  lawyer  had  either  eaten  very  quickly,  or 
not  at  all ;  he  had  devoured  the  play,  which  he  rapidly 
mastered,  and,  fearing  that  he  would  not  have  time  enough 
to  rehearse,  had  hurried  over  from  Stollborg  on  foot,  by 
the  light  of  the  stars.  He  had  concealed  his  face  and 
disguised  his  voice,  in  order  to  inquire  for  Christian 
Waldo's  room ;  and,  in  short,  had  used  all  the  precau- 
tions of  a  young  lover  stealing  to  a  mysterious  rendezvous. 
His  head,  for  the  present,  was  full  of  nothing  but  the  bu- 
rattini ;  he  had  forgotten  the  mysteries  of  Stollborg  as 
completely  as  if  he  had  never  troubled  himself  on  the 
subject.  However,  as  he  was  running  lightly  up  the 
stairs,  he  found  himself,  for  the  second  time  that  day, 
obliged  to  pass  a  man  of  evil  countenance,  who  was  rap- 
idly descending.  This  second  meeting  brought  back  to 
his  mind  the  strange  fancies  in  which  he  had  been  in- 
dulging about  Baron  Olaus,  Stenson,  and  the  deceased 
Hilda. 

"  Stay,"  he  said  to  Christian,  who  gayly  congratulated 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


295 


him  on  his  zeal ;  "  look  at  that  man  who  just  passed  me, 
and  who  is  now  going  along  the  corridor  below.  Did  he 
come  from  this  room?  Is  he  a  servant  of  the  baron's? 
Do  you  know  him  ?  " 

"  I  know  him  a  great  deal  too  well,  and  I  was  just 
under  the  necessity  of  telling  him  my  opinion  of  him," 
said  Christian.  "  That  man — whether  a  servant  or  not 
—  is  the  very  Guido  Massarelli  whose  adventures  I  told 
you  something  about  this  morning,  in  relating  my  story." 

"  You  don't  say  so  !  Well,  that  is  a  strange  encounter, 
on  my  word  !  "  cried  M.  Goefle  ;  "and  it  may,  perhaps, 
give  you  some  trouble.  You  are  enemies,  and,  if  you 
have  treated  him  as  he  deserves,  he  will  injure  you  as 
much  as  possible." 

"  How  can  he  injure  me?  He  is  such  a  coward!  I 
made  him  go  down  on  his  knees  to  me." 

"  In  that  case  —  well,  I  don't  know  what  he  will  do,  but  it 
is  a  fact  that  he  has  discovered  some  important  secret." 

"  A  secret  concerning  me?  " 

"  No,"  said  M.  Goefle,  who  was  on  the  point  of  speak- 
ing freely,  when  he  remembered  his  resolution  not  to  re- 
veal anything  relating  to  Stenson  ;  "  but,  at  any  rate,  you 
are  hiding  Christian  GofFredi  under  the  mask  of  Christian 
Waldo,  and  he  will  betray  you." 

"  What  if  he  does?  I  have  not  dishonored  the  name 
of  GofFredi,  and  I  hope  the  time  will  come  when  my  sin- 
gular adventures  will  redound  to  my  honor,  rather  than 
to  my  discredit.  Pray  what  have  1  to  fear  from  any  one's 
opinion  ?  Am  I  either  idle  or  debauched  ?  I  despise  all 
the  Massarellis  in  the  world  !  Have  I  not  already  made 
even  a  chivalric  reputation  in  Sweden  and  elsewhere, 
under  my  buffoon's  mask?  More  good  actions  are  at- 
tributed to  me,  indeed,  than  I  have  performed,  and  I  have 
become  a  sort  of  hero  of  romance.  Was  I  not  last  night, 
the  Prince  Royal  of  Sweden?  And  if  this  reputation  of 
mine  should  become  too  fantastic,  cannot  I  change  my 
name  whenever  I  shall  think  proper,  and  adopt  a  se- 
rious profession?  It  is  important  upon  your  account 
(and  that  is  the  only  reason  I  give  it  a  thought,  M. 
Goefle)  to  prevent  your  pretended  nephew,  who  attended 


296 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


the  ball  last  night,  from  being  recognized  under  the  mask 
of  Christian  Waldo ;  but  this  is  the  only  thing  we  need 
trouble  ourselves  about.  Now  Massarelli  was  not  here 
last  night,  I  am  sure  of  it,  and  he  knows  nothing  about 
that  adventure  ;  otherwise  I  should  have  heard  of  it. 
However,  in  any  event,  you  will  only  need  to  repeat  what 
is  the  truth,  and  adhere  to  it,  that  you  have  never  had 
either  nephew  or  natural  child,  and  that  you  are  in  no 
way  responsible  for  the  practical  jokes  of  a  professional 
jester  like  Christian  Waldo." 

"  After  all,  I  am  as  indifferent  upon  the  subject  as 
yourself,"  replied  M.  Goefle,  taking  off  his  wig,  and  cov- 
ering his  head  with  a  light  black  cap  which  Christian 
gave  him ;  "do  you  suppose  I  am  such  a  coward  as  to 
be  afraid  of  the  ogre  of  this  castle?  Christian,  I  am 
about  to  make  my  first  appearance  as  an  exhibitor  of 
marionettes.  Well,  if  you  should  ever  be  reproached 
with  having  earned  your  living  as  a  showman,  so  as  to 
devote  yourself  to  science,  you  can  reply  that  you  knew  a 
man  holding  an  honorable  position  in  a  dignified  profes- 
sion, who  became  your  fellow-performer  for  his  own 
amusement." 

"  Or  rather  out  of  kindness  to  me,  Monsieur  Goefle." 

"  Kindness  for  you,  if  you  choose,  for  I  really  like 
you ;  but  it  would  be  wrong  to  suppose  that  I  feel  any 
distaste  for  this  performance.  On  the  contrary,  it  seems 
to  me  that  it  will  be  immensely  diverting.  In  the  first 
place  the  piece  is  charming,  comic  to  the  highest  degree, 
and  at  the  same  time  pathetic,  in  certain  parts.  You 
showed  your  wisdom  in  avoiding  all  allusions  in  the  present 
arrangement.  Come,  Christian,  let  us  rehearse  !  We 
haven't  more  than  half  an  hour.  Let's  be  quick  !  Are 
we  all  safe  here  ?  Can  no  one  either  hear  us  or  see  us  ?  " 

Christian  had  some  difficulty  in  preventing  M.  Goefle 
from  fatiguing  his  voice  and  exhausting  himself  in  the 
rehearsal.  The  successive  scenes  were  briefly  indicated 
upon  the  schedule,  and  two  or  three  questions  and  replies 
devoted  to  each  of  them  were  quite  sufficient  to  give  full 
command  of  the  principal  situations,  which  were  to  be 
the  basis  of  the  public  improvisation.  What  was  most 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


297 


important  was  to  lay  the  marionettes  in  the  proper  order 
on  the  platform  behind  the  scenes  arranged  for  the  pur- 
pose, sp  as  to  find  them  without  confusion,  when  they 
should  be  required  on  the  stage  ;  to  bring  them  forward 
correctly  in  their  turns  ;  and  to  have  a  good  understand- 
ing about  their  entries  and  exits,  and  the  main  tenor  of 
the  story.  The  dialogue  itself  they  left  to  the  inspiration 
of  the  moment.  M.  Goefle  was  the  most  delightful  and 
intelligent  associate  Christian  had  ever  had.  He  was 
quite  electrified  by  the  collision  of  their  wits,  and,  when 
eight  o'clock  struck,  he  was  in  a  brilliant  flow  of  spirits, 
such  as  he  had  not  experienced  since  playing  with  Massa- 
relli,  then  so  agreeable  and  attractive.  That  distant  and 
now  sadly  faded  remembrance  caused  him  a  moment's 
melancholy,  which,  however,  he  quickly  shook  off  as  he 
remarked  to  M.  Goefle  : 

"  There,  I  hear  them  coming  into  the  gallery.  Be  all 
ready,  my  dear  comrade,  and  good  luck  to  us  !  " 

At  this  moment  some  one  knocked  at  the  further  door, 
and  the  voice  of  Johan,  the  major-domo,  asked  for  Chris- 
tian Waldo. 

"  I  beg  pardon,"  called  out  Christian,  "  but  you  can't 
come  in  now.  Speak  through  the  door  ;  I  can  hear." 

Johan  answered  that  Christian  was  to  be  in  readiness 
to  open  the  performance  ;  and  that  three  raps  on  the  door 
would  notify  him  when  to  begin.  At  that  signal  the  door 
would  be  opened  to  allow  the  theatre  to  be  set  forward. 

This  being  agreed  upon,  still  another  quarter  of  an 
hour  had  to  pass  before  the  ladies  could  all  be  suited  with 
seats,  where  their  dresses  and  graces  could  be  properly 
displayed,  and  where  each  should  be  near  the  cavalier 
most  agreeable  to  herself,  or  to  whom  she  most  wished 
to  be  agreeable.  Christian,  who  was  used  to  such  delays, 
busied  himself  with  arranging  the  refreshments  that  he 
had  found  in  the  little  saloon  upon  a  table,  where  it  would 
be  conveniently  at  hand,  in  case  he  or  his  companion 
should  want  to  clear  their  voices  between  the  acts.  When 
he  had  done  this,  both  he  and  M.  Goefle  stepped  into  the 
theatre,  which  was  covered  in  with  curtains  securely  fast- 
ened in  front  and  at  the  sides.  The  back,  which  was 


298  THE  SNO  W  MAN. 

movable,  was  set  far  enough  to  the  rear  to  allow  room 
for  several  side-scenes. 

The  two  operators  now  awaited  the  three  raps,  Chris- 
tian calmly,  M.  Goefle  with  an  almost  feverish  impatience, 
which  he  expressed  openly. 

"  What,  do  you  feel  vexed?"  said  Christian.  "  Well, 
that  shows  that  you  are  excited  ;  it  is  a  good  sign.  You 
will  be  brilliant." 

"  I  hope  so,"  replied  the  lawyer  ;  "  though,  to  tell  you 
the  truth,  it  seems  to  me  just  now  as  if  I  should  not  be 
able  to  say  a  single  word,  and  should  break  down.  That 
would  be  extremely  agreeable  ;  it  makes  me  dizzy  to 
think  of  it.  No  case  that  I  ever  argued  before  the  most 
august  assembly,  no  question  involving  the  life  and  honor 
of  a  client,  or  my  own  success,  ever  agitated  my  mind 
and  strained  my  nerves  as  this  farce  is  doing.  Will  those 
chatterboxes  of  women  that  I  hear  cackling  through  the 
doors  never  be  quiet?  Do  they  want  to  smother  us  in 
this  box  ?  I'll  break  out  and  abuse  them  if  this  continues." 

Finally  the  three  blows  were  struck.  *  Two  footmen, 
stationed  in  the  gallery,  opened  simultaneously  the  two 
sides  of  the  door,  and  the  little  theatre  was  seen  to  move 
forward  lightly,  as  if  of  its  own  accord,  and  to  take  its 
place  before  the  door-way,  which  it  entirely  filled.  Four 
musicians,  whom  Christian  had  stipulated  for,  played  a 
brief  quartette  in  the  Italian  style.  The  curtain  rose,  and 
the  applause  which  was  given  to  the  scenery  afforded  the 
operators  time  to  place  their  marionettes  in  position  for 
appearing  upon  the  stage. 

Christian  never  began  his  performances  without  inspect- 
ing his  audience  through  a  little  peep-hole,  which  he  had 
contrived  for  the  purpose.  The  first  person  he  saw  hap- 
pened to  be  the  very  one  he  was  looking  for.  Margaret 
was  seated  next  Olga,  in  the  front  row.  She  was  in  a 
delicious  toilet,  and  looked  positively  ravishing.  Chris- 
tian next  noticed  the  baron,  who  was  in  the  front  row  of 
the  gentlemen's  seats,  behind  those  of  the  ladies,  and 
whose  lofty  stature  made  him  at  once  conspicuous.  He 
was  even  paler,  if  possible,  than  the  evening  before.  Mas- 
sarelli  did  not  seem  to  be  present,  but  Christian  saw  with 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


299 


pleasure  Major  Larrson,  Lieutenant  Erwin  Osburn,  and 
the  other  young  officers  who,  on  the  previous  evening, 
during  the  ball  and  after  it,  had  shown  him  such  cordial 
sympathy,  and  whose  ruddy  countenances,  already  lighted 
up  with  the  expectation  of  pleasure,  were  full  of  kindly 
interest.  At  the  same  time,  Christian  could  hear  them 
praising  the  scene. 

"  Why,  that  is  Stollborg !  "  said  several  voices. 

"  True,"  said  Baron  Olaus,  in  his  metallic  voice,  "  I 
really  believe  that  they  have  tried  to  represent  old  Stoll- 
borg." 

As  for  M.  Goefle,  he  could  neither  hear  nor  see ;  he 
was  for  the  moment  horribly  discomposed.  To  give  him 
time  to  recover  himself,  Christian  began  with  a  scene  be- 
tween two  actors,  which  he  played  alone.  His  voice 
adapted  itself  with  singular  ease  to  the  different  utter- 
ances of  the  beings  he  was  representing  ;  and  not  only  did 
he  vary  his  intonations,  he  made  each  character,  at  the 
same  time,  use  just  the  language  which  was  best  suited  to 
its  part  and  position  in  the  little  comedy.  From  the  very 
outset  the  audience  were  charmed  with  his  natural  and 
truthful  style.  M.  Goefle,  whose  duty  it  was  for  the  mo- 
ment to  represent  an  old  man,  very  soon  came  in  with  his 
part.  At  first  he  did  not  succeed  very  well  in  disguising 
his  voice,  but  the  audience  were  so  far  from  suspecting 
his  presence,  and  were  so  thoroughly  convinced  that 
Christian  did  all  the  talking,  that  there  was  the  greatest 
amazement  at  the  infinite  resources  of  the  operator. 

"  Wouldn't  you  be  willing  to  swear,"  said  Larrsou, 
"  that  there  were  a  dozen  persons  in  there?  " 

"  There  must  be  four,  at  least,"  said  the  lieutenant. 

"  No,"  replied  the  major,  "  there  are  only  two,  the 
master  and  his  assistant.  But  the  assistant  is  a  mere 
brute,  who  very  seldom  speaks,  and  who  has  not  opened 
his  mouth,  so  far." 

"  But  hark !  there  are  two  persons  speaking.  I  dis- 
tinctly hear  two  different  voices." 

"  Pure  delusion  ! "  replied  the  enthusiastic  Larrson  ;  "it 
is  Christian  Waldo  all  alone.  He  can  represent  two  or 
three  or  four  persons  all  at  the  same  time,  and  more  too, 


300 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


perhaps  ;  who  knows  ?  He  is  the  very  devil.  But  attend 
to  the  piece  ;  it  is  wonderfully  entertaining.  One  would 
like  to  commit  his  plays  to  memory,  so  as  to  write  them 
out." 

In  spite  of  all  this  praise,  however,  we  shall  not  under- 
take to  enter  into  the  details  of  this  play  for  the  reader's 
benefit.  Such  fugitive  compositions  are  like  all  oral  or 
musical  improvisations ;  it  is  a  mistake  to  suppose  that 
they  would  appear  so  well  if  transcribed  and  preserved. 
Their  unexpectedness  is  a  chief  part  of  their  attractive- 
ness, and  it  is  just  because  we  can  only  recall  them  indis- 
tinctly, and  that  the  imagination,  therefore,  has  full 
opportunity  to  embellish  them,  that  we  remember  them 
as  so  charming.  Whatever  Christian  produced  in  these 
extempore  efforts  had  always  spirit,  character,  and  taste. 
And  as  for  the  imperfections  inseparable  from  an  im- 
promptu recitation,  the  rapid  movement  of  the  piece,  and 
the  artist's  adroitness  in  introducing  new  characters  as 
soon  as  he  found  himself  growing  weary  of  those  already 
upon  the  stage,  caused  them  to  be  entirely  overlooked. 

As  for  M.  Goefle,  his  genuine  natural  eloquence,  his 
ready  wit,  when  excited,  and  extensive  and  varied  infor- 
mation, made  it  very  easy  for  him  to  do  his  part,  when 
he  had  once  recovered  from  his  fright.  His  prompt- 
ness in  seizing  any  fancy  of  his  interlocutor,  and  making 
the  most  of  it,  gave  rise  to  the  most  entertaining  digres- 
sions ;  and  the  usual  amazement  at  the  variety  and 
knowledge  displayed  in  Waldo's  dialogue,  was  greater 
than  ever. 

Although  declining  to  enter  into  the  particulars  of 
Christian's  comedy,  we  must  at  least  explain  how  it  was 
he  had  changed  the  first  act ;  with  which,  in  its  original 
form,  M.  Goefle,  it  will  be  remembered,  had  been  so 
deeply  impressed. 

Restrained  by  the  fear  of  really  compromising  the 
advocate  by  some  unintentional  allusion,  he  had  made 
the  villain  of  the  piece  a  comic  character,  a  sort  of  Cas- 
sandre,  deceived  by  his  ward,  and  constantly  seeking  the 
corpus  delicti  —  the  Child  of  Mystery — but  without  any 
criminal  designs  against  him.  Christian  was  very  much 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


301 


surprised,  therefore,  as  he  began  the  last  scene  of  the 
first  act,  to  hear  a  movement  in  the  audience,  as  if  a  sort 
of  shudder  had  passed  over  it,  and  a  general  whispering, 
which,  to  his  practised  ear,  skilled  in  detecting  the  senti- 
ments of  his  spectators,  even  while  he  himself  was 
speaking,  seemed  to  express  blame  rather  than  praise. 

"What  can  have  happened?"  he  asked  himself. 

Glancing  at  M.  Goefle,  he  saw  that  he  looked  trou- 
bled, and  was  tapping  the  floor  with  one  foot,  as  if 
vexed,  while  he  moved  his  marionette  nervously  about 
upon  the  stage. 

Christian,  imagining  that  he  had  forgotten  some  part 
of  the  plot,  hastened  to  relieve  him  by  bringing  forward 
the  boatman,  and,  hurrying  up  the  conclusion  of  the  act, 
he  lowered  the  curtain.  This  was  followed  neither  by 
applause  nor  hisses,  but  there  was  a  general  rush  in  the 
audience,  as  if  they  were  hurrying  out,  to  avoid  hearing 
anything  further.  Peeping  through  his  eye-hole,  before 
withdrawing  the  theatre  behind  the  door  for  the  inter- 
mission, he  saw,  in  fact,  that  his  whole  audience, 
although  not  yet  dispersed,  had  risen ;  and,  with  their 
backs  turned  towards  the  theatre,  were  discussing  some 
event  in  low  voices.  The  only  Avords  he  could  distin- 
guish were  :  "  Gone  out  !  He  has  gone  out ! "  And 
glancing  round  the  room  to  see  who  could  be  meant,  he 
saw  that  the  baron  was  no  longer  in  the  gallery. 

"  Come,"  said  M.  Goefle,  nudging  him  with  his  elbow, 
"let's  move  back  into  the  green-room.  Why  are  you 
waiting?  It's  the  intermission." 

The  theatre,  therefore,  rolled  back  within  the  saloon, 
the  doors  were  closed ;  and  as  he  rapidly  shifted  his 
scenes  for  the  second  act,  Christian  asked  M.  Goefle  if 
he  had  noticed  anything  in  particular. 

"The  deuce!"  said  the  lawyer,  with  a  good  deal  of 
excitement ;  "I  have  done  it  finely  this  time  !  What  do 
you  say?" 

"Your  performance?     It  was  excellent,  M.  Goefle." 

"I  was  stupid,  crazy!  It  is  inconceivable  that  a 
man  accustomed  to  speak  in  public  on  the  most  del- 
icate subjects,  and  about  the  most  involved  and  doubtful 


302 


THE   SNO  W  MAN. 


cases,  should  have  been  overtaken  by  such  an  accident ! 
Can  you  understand  it  ?  " 

"But  what  accident,  for  heaven's  sake,  Monsieur 
Goefle?" 

"What,  are  you  deaf?  Did  you  not  hear  me  make 
three  most  frightful  blunders?" 

"Pshaw!  I  probably  made  a  hundred;  it  happens 
every  day.  Nobody  notices  them." 

"You  think  so?  Nobody  notices  them?  I'll  wager 
something  that  the  baron  left  the  room  before  we  were 
through." 

"  He  did,  that's  the  fact !  Is  he  so  very  critical  that  a 
careless  connective  or  an  ill-chosen  word  — " 

"  What !  A  thousand  devils  !  That  is  not  the  matter 
at  all !  I  Avould  rather  have  had  my  tongue  cut  out  than 
to  have  said  what  I  did.  While  you  Avere  stooping  down 
to  bring  the  boat  under  the  rocks,  and  I  was  making  the 
men  on  guard  talk,  only  imagine  that  I  said  three  times, 
'the  baron,'  instead  of  'Don  Sancho'!  I  did,  three 
times  !  Once  by  mere  oversight,  again  when  I  had  no- 
ticed it,  and  meant  to  correct  myself;  and  a  third 
time  —  I  never  heard  of  such  a  thing,  Christian  —  to 
say  exactly  the  very  word  that  one  intends  not  to  say ! 
There  was  some  fatality  about  it ;  I  am  almost  ready  to 
believe,  as  our  peasants  do,  that  evil  spirits  intermeddle 
with  our  doings  !  " 

"  It  is  very  curious,  really,"  said  Christian,  "  but  it 
might  have  happened  to  any  one.  Why  are  you  so 
much  annoyed  about  it,  M.  Goefle?  The  baron  can 
never  suspect  that  it  was  done  on  purpose.  And  besides, 
is  he  the  only  baron  in  the  world?  Are  there  not  a 
dozen  of  them,  perhaps,  in  the  very  audience  before  us  ? 
Come,  let  us  attend  to  the  second  act ;  time  is  passing, 
and  they  may  call  for  us  at  any  moment." 

"If  they  don't  send  to  countermand  the  performance. 
There,  some  one  is  knocking  ! " 

"It  is  the  major-domo  again.  Step  in  under  the 
frame,  M.  Goefle  ;  I  will  put  on  my  mask  and  open  the 
door  ;  he  must  see  what  is  going  on." 


THE  SNOW  MAN.  303 

When  M.  Goefle  was  out  of  sight,  and  Christian 
masked,  the  door  was  opened  to  M.  Johan. 

"What  is  the  matter?"  asked  Christian,  going 
promptly  to  the  point.  "  Shall  we  go  on  ?  " 

"Why  not,  M.  Waldo?"  said  the  major-domo. 

"I  fancied  that  his  lordship  \vas  indisposed." 

"Oh,  he  often  suffers  from  nervousness,  Avhen  he 
remains  long  in  one  place.  It  is  nothing,  however.  He 
has  just  sent  me  to  tell  you  that  you  are  to  go  on  whether 
he  returns  or  not ;  he  Avould  regret  to  have  the  company 
disappointed  of  their  entertainment.  But  Avhat  an  odd 
idea  that  was  of  yours,  M.  Christian,  to  represent  our 
old  Stollborg  in  your  theatre  ! " 

"  I  hoped  it  might  please  his  lordship  the  baron," 
said  Christian,  with  effrontery.  "Was  I  mistaken?" 

"His  lordship  is  enchanted  with  the  idea;  he  said 
over  and  over,  '  Capital !  How  good  it  is  !  You  Avould 
think  it  Avas  the  old  donjon  itself.'" 

"I'm  very  glad  indeed,"  returned  Christian;  "in 
that  case  Ave'll  continue.  Your  servant,  M.  Major-domo  ! 
Come,  M.  Goefle,  take  courage,"  he  said,  Avhen  Johan 
had  gone;  "you  see  it's  all  correct,  and  that  AVC  have 
been  only  dreaming  all  day.  Now  I  Avager  that  the 
baron  is  the  best  fellow  in  the  Avorld,  you  will  see  that 
he  \vill  be  converted,  and  we  shall  have  to  canonize 
him." 

The  baron  concluded  to  return,  after  all,  and  the  sec- 
ond act,  Avhich  Avas  short  and  lively,  seemed  to  amuse 
him  extremely.  Don  Sancho  did  not  appear.  M.  Goefle 
made  no  more  slips  of  the  tongue,  and  succeeded  so 
well  in  disguising  his  voice,  that  nobody  suspected  his 
presence.  In  the  next  intermission  he  drank  sundry 
glasses  of  port  to  keep  up  his  spirits,  and  during  the 
third  and  last  act,  Avhich  Avas  even  more  successful  than 
the  two  preceding  ones,  he  Avas,  perhaps,  a  little  elevated. 

The  comic  scenes  in  which  Stentarello  entertained  the 
public.  Christian  varied  Avith  a  sentimental  by-plot  be- 
tween other  characters.  In  the  last  act,  Alonzo,  the 
child  of  the  lake,  discovfred  that  Rosita,  the  daughter  of 
the  worthy  couple  who  had  adopted  and  brought  him  up, 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 

was  not  his  sister,  whereupon  he  avowed  his  love  to  her. 
This  well-known  dramatic  situation  is  always  a  delicate 
one  to  manage.  There  is  something  unwelcome  in  see- 
ing a  brother  pass  suddenly  from  a  sacred  friendship  to  a 
passion  which,  in  spite  of  the  change  of  circumstances, 
persists,  as  it  were,  in  seeming  unholy.  This  young  girl 
and  Alonzo  were  the  only  two  of  his  characters  whom 
Christian  had  not  burlesqued.  He  had  represented  the 
latter  as  a  good-hearted  young  man,  with  views  and  pur- 
suits like  his  own.  The  audience  felt  a  sympathy  for  his 
generous  and  adventurous  qualities,  and  the  ladies,  quite 
forgetting  that  it  was  only  a  marionette  which  they  be- 
held, were  charmed  with  the  pleasant  voice  which  dis- 
coursed to  them  of  love  with  a  certain  chaste  tenderness, 
and  in  a  frank  tone,  far  different  from  the  mannerisms  of 
the  fashionable  French  pastorals  of  the  day. 

Christian  was  familiar  with  Marivaux,  whose  works 
present  such  a  striking  union  of  elaborate  thought,  with 
simplicity  of  feeling  and  passionate  emotion.  He  had 
been  deeply  penetrated  with  all  that  is  true  and  great  in 
this  charming  genius,  and  he  really  excelled  in  represent- 
ing the  part  of  a  lover.  The  scene  was  too  short.  It 
was  encored  vehemently,  and  Christian,  yielding  to  the 
wish  of  the  public,  picked  up  Alonzo  again  —  he  had  al- 
ready pulled  him  off  his  fingers  —  and  brought  him  back 
upon  the  stage  in  a  manner  at  once  ingenious  and  natural. 

"Did  you  call  me?"  he  said  to  the  young  girl,  and 
this  simple  phrase  was  uttered  with  an  expression  so 
timid,  so  profoundly  loving,  and  so  heartfelt,  that  Marga- 
ret hid  her  face  behind  her  hand,  to  conceal  a  deep  blush. 

The  fact  is,  that  the  young  girl  was  passing  through  a 
strange  experience.  Out  of  all  the  audience,  she  alone 
had  recognized  in  the  voice  of  Alonzo  that  of  Christian 
Goefle  ;  perhaps  because  she  alone  had  conversed  with 
him  sufficiently  to  remember  his  voice  distinctly.  It  is 
true  that  Christian  Waldo  made  his  young  lover  talk  in 
a  higher  key  than  his  own  natural  intonation,  but  still 
there  were  certain  inflections  "and  vibrations  that  startled 
Margaret  every  moment.  When  the  love  scene  came, 
she  was  absolutely  certain  ;  and  yet  Christian  Goefle  had 


THE   SNOW  MAN.  305 

not  said  a  single  word  of  love  to  her.  She  kept  her 
thoughts  to  herself,  however ;  and  when  Olga,  who  was 
cold  and  sarcastic,  nudged  her  with  her  elbow,  and  asked 
if  she  was  crying,  the  innocent  child  replied  with  artless 
hypocrisy  that  she  had  caught  a  bad  cold,  and  was  try- 
ing to  smother  her  cough. 

As  for  Olga,  she,  too,  was  dissimulating,  though  in  a 
very  different  way.  When  the  play  was  over,  she  pre- 
tended to  feel  a  great  contempt  for  the  little  gentleman, 
who  was  such  a  "  bashful  lover,"  and  yet  her  heart  had 
been  beating  violently.  Tn  fact,  there  are  some  Russian 
women  who  are  habitually  'heartless  and  calculating,  but 
who,  nevertheless,  have  very  ardent  passions.  Olga  had 
resolutely  committed  herself  to  an  interested  marriage  ; 
and  yet,  in  spite  of  herself,  she  could  not  help  feeling  a 
secret  horror  of  the  baron,  ever  since  she  had  been  en- 
gaged to  him.  When  he  spoke  to  her  after  the  play,  his 
harsh  voice  and  icy  look  gave  her  a  chill,  and  she  remem- 
bered without,  or  even  against  her  intention,  the  soft  tones 
and  vivid  expressions  of  Christian  Waldo. 

Upon  his  side,  the  baron  seemed  to  be  in  excellent  hu- 
mor. The  unfortunate  Don  Sancho,  who  was  to  have 
made  his  appearance  again  towards  the  close  of  the  piece, 
had  prudently  been  suppressed  by  M.  Goefle.  Between 
the  first  and  second  acts,  he  and  Christian  had  agreed 
together  as  to  this  modification.  They  arranged  to  make 
Rosita  the  daughter  of  Don  Sancho,  who  was  supposed 
to  have  died  during  the  intermission.  She  turned  out  to 
be  the  heiress  of  his  vast  fortune,  and  marries  Alonzo  at 
the  end  of  the  play,  so  as  to  make  up  for  the  spoliation 
which  he  had  suffered.  Adventures,  blunders,  romantic 
incidents,  and  comic  scenes,  and  most  of  all  Stcntarello, 
with  his  ingenuous  selfishness  and  his  cowardice,  filled 
out  the  sleuder  framework  of  the  little  comedy,  which 
was  received  with  general  enthusiasm,  notwithstanding 
the  dissent  of  M.  Stangstadius,  who  did  not  listen  to  a 
single  word,  and  pooh-poohed  everything  from  beginning 
to  end.  He  was  quite  out  of  patience  to  think  that  any- 
body could  be  interested  in  a  frivolous  affair  in  which 
there  was  nothing  scientific. 

20 


3o6  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

Meanwhile,  M.  Goefle  had  thrown  himself  into  an 
arm-chair  in  the  green-room,  where  he  was  shut  up  with 
Christian  ;  and  while  the  latter,  always  active  and  indus- 
trious, busied  himself  with  taking  down,  arranging,  and 
folding  all  the  different  parts  and  implements  of  his  the- 
atre —  packing  the  dramatis  personse  into  their  box, 
and  folding  the  theatre  itself  into  one  bundle,  which, 
although  heavy,  could  easily  be  carried  —  the  advocate 
wiped  the  perspiration  from  his  forehead,  sipped  his 
Spanish  wine,  and,  in  short,  gave  himself  up,  heart  and 
soul,  to  enjoyment  and  relaxation,  as  he  was  in  the  habit 
of  doing  at  home  when  he  took  off  his  professional  robe 
and  cap,  to  retire,  as  he  was  accustomed  to  phrase  it,  into 
the  bosom  of  private  life. 

This  charming  man  had  experienced  few  disappoint- 
ments in  public  life,  and  few  private  troubles.  What  he 
had  really  felt  the  want  of,  since  he  had  settled  down  to 
the  sober,  tranquil  career  of  a  middle-aged  man,  was 
novelty,  the  element  of  adventure.  This  he  pretended  to 
hate,  and  thought  he  did  hate  it ;  and  yet  he  suffered  from 
the  monotony  of  his  existence,  because  he  possessed  a 
vivid  imagination,  and  great  versatility  of  talent.  Nat- 
urally, therefore,  at  the  present  moment,  he  was  in  un- 
usually high  spirits,  without  knowing  why.  Although 
fatigued,  and  bathed  in  perspiration,  he  was  sorry  that  the 
play  was  over ;  for  at  least  ten  additional  acts,  ready  for 
performance,  were  floating  in  his  mind. 

"  I  ought  to  be  ashamed  of  myself,"  he  said  ;  "  here  am 
I  resting,  while  you  are  hard  at  work  setting  things  to 
rights.  Cannot  I  help  you? " 

"  No,  no,  M.  Goefle,  you  would  not  know  how.  Be- 
sides, I  have  done  already.  Are  you  still  too  warm  to 
think  of  walking  back  to  Stollborg?" 

"  To  Stollborg !  Must  we  return  there,  and  go  off 
stupidly,  to  bedj  excited  as  we  are  ?  " 

"  Why,  as  to  that,  M.  Goefle,  it  rests  with  you  to  step 
out  of  the  door  at  the  foot  of  this  side  stairway,  and  then 
go  round  to  the  main  entrance  and  take  supper  (they  have 
just  rung  the  bell),  and  enjoy  the  amusements  which,  I 
presume,  have  been  prepared  for  the  remainder  of  the 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


307 


evening.  But  my  part  is  played.  Since  you  have  denied 
your  own  blood,  since  I  can  no  longer  appear  by  your  side 
under  the  name  of  Christian  Goefle,  I  must  go  and  take 
something  or  other  to  eat,  and  study  a  little  mineralogy 
until  I  grow  sleepy." 

"  Sure  enough,  my  poor  boy,  you  must  be  tired." 

"I  was  before  we  began;  now  I  am  excited,  just  as 
you  are,  M.  Goefle.  In  improvising,  one  is  always  most 
wound  up  when  it  is  time  to  stop.  Exactly  when  the  cur- 
tain falls  is  just  the  right  time  to  begin  ;  you  are  full  of 
fire,  of  feeling,  of  wit." 

"Very  true,  and  I'll  stay  with  you  for  that  reason,  for 
you  would  be  uncomfortable  enough  by  yourself.  I  un- 
derstand all  about  that  state  of  mind.  It  is  just  so  when 
one  has  concluded  an  argument ;  but  this  is  even  more 
stimulating.  I  would  like  myself  to  do  I  don't  know 
what,  this  very  minute  :  recite  a  tragedy,  compose  a  poem, 
set  the  house  on  fire,  get  drunk  —  anything  to  satisfy  this 
craving  of  the  mind  after  something  out  of  the  ordinary 
line." 

"  Take  care,  M.  Goefle,"  said  Christian,  laughing, 
"  the  last  may  happen  to  you." 

"  To  me?  Never  !  never  !  I  am  sorry  to  say  that  I 
am  sober  to  excess  —  stupidly  so,  in  fact." 

"  But  see  there  — that  bottle  is  half  empty  ! " 

"  Half  a  bottle  of  port  for  two —  there  is  nothing  scan- 
dalous in  that,  I  hope?" 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  but  I  haven't  touched  it.  I  drank 
nothing  but  lemonade." 

"  If  that  is  so,"  said  M.  Goefle,  pushing  away  the  glass 
he  was  about  to  fill,  "  hence,  perfidious  beverage  !  To  get 
tipsy  alone  is  the  most  melancholy  business  in  the  world. 
Will  you  come  over  to  Stollborg  and  drink  with  me? 
Or  —  stay,  when  I  was  here  this  moruing  I  heard  some- 
body saying  that  there  was  to  be  a  race  by  torchlight  on 
the  lake  to-night,  unless  there  should  be  more  snow  ;  but, 
on  the  contrary,  the  weather  was  magnificent  when  I 
came  over.  Let  us  join  the  party.  Every  one  is  priv- 
ileged, you  know,  to  appear  disguised  during  the  Christ- 


308  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

mas  entertainments,  and  faith  !   I  remember  this  moment 
that  Countess  Elveda  said  something  about  a  masquerade." 

"  A  good  idea,"  said  Christian,  "and  exactly  in  my 
line  —  the  man  in  the  mask  !  But  what  shall  we  do  for 
costumes  ?  I  have  a  hundred  or  more  there  in  my  box, 
but  neither  of  us  could  very  well  bring  himself  down  to 
the  size  of  a  marionette." 

"  Oh,  perhaps  we  can  find  something  over  at  Stollborg." 

"  Not  in  my  wardrobe  then,  most  assuredly." 

"Well,  in  mine,  perhaps.  If  we  can't  do  anything 
else,  we  can  put  on  our  clothes  wrong  side  out.  But  a 
little  imagination  —  " 

"  Very  well !  Go  on,  then,  M.  Goefle,  I  will  follow 
you.  I  have  still  to  load  up  Jean  and  receive  my  money. 
Take  this  mask  ;  I  have  another.  Possibly  there  may  be 
some  inquisitive  fellows  on  the  stairs." 

"Or  some  inquisitive  ladies  —  on  your  account.  Be 
quick,  Christian  !  I'll  go  on  in  advance." 

And  M.  Goefle,  as  springy  and  active  as  if  but  twenty 
years  old,  darted  down  stairs,  pushing  his  way  past  the 
servants,  and  even  jostling  certain  ladies,  very  carefully 
wrapped  up,  who  had  quietly  crept  in  to  try  and  see  the 
famous  Christian  Waldo  as  he  should  pass.  Christian 
himself,  consequently,  attracted  no  attention  at  all,  and 
met  comparatively  few  persons,  when  a  moment  after- 
wards he  followed,  carrying  his  box  and  his  great  bundle. 

"  That  must  be  the  assistant,"  they  said,  "  since  he's 
carrying  the  things.  He  must  needs  wear  a  mask  too, 
the  booby ! " 

And  they  lamented  their  ill-success  in  failing  to  catch 
the  least  glimpse  of  the  face  or  even  of  the  figure  of 
Waldo  himself,  who  had  shot  off  like  lightning. 

When  Christian  had  finished  loading  his  ass,  he  returned 
to  the  green-room,  and  had  scarcely  entered  it  when  M. 
Johan  made  an  effort  to  take  him  by  surprise,  so  as  to 
satisfy  his  curiosity  about  him.  The  major-domo  tried 
the  door  stealthily,  hoping  to  enter  without  knocking,  on 
the  pretext  of  paying  the  amount  due  for  the  exhibition. 
Christian,  conjecturing  who  his  visitor  was,  resolved  to 
have  a  little  amusement  at  the  expense  of  this  insinuating 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


3°9 


gentleman.  Accordingly,  he  masked  himself  carefully, 
and,  leaving  but  one  candle  burning,  opened  the  door, 
which  he  had  not  forgotten  to  lock,  with  a  great  deal  of 
politeness. 

"Have  I  the  pleasure  of  speaking  with  M.  Christian 
Waldo  himself?"  asked  the  major-domo,  as  he  handed 
him  the  sum  agreed  on. 

"  The  same  !"  said  Christian;  "you  must  surely  re- 
member my  voice  and  dress,  since  you  saw  me  only  a 
little  while  ago." 

"  Certainly,  my  dear  fellow,  but  your  assistant  masks 
himself  too,  it  seems  ;  he  passed  me  a  while  ago  on  the 
stairs,  looking  as  mysterious  as  yourself,  and  wrapped  up 
in  much  better  style,  by  George  !  than  he  was  yesterday, 
when  you  arrived." 

"  The  fact  is  that  the  rascal,  instead  of  carrying  my 
cloak  on  his  arm,  takes  the  liberty  of  putting  it  on  his 
back.  I  let  him  do  it,  for  he  is  a  chilly  sort  of  fellow." 

"  Ah,  indeed !  Well,  there  is  one  thing  about  this 
chilly  fellow  that  surprises  me  greatly.  That  is,  that  yes- 
terday he  was  a  full  head  shorter  than  you." 

"  Does  that  surprise  you?"  said  Christian,  drawing  on 
his  powers  of  improvisation  ;  "  then  you  cannot  have  no- 
ticed his  feet  to-day." 

"  Why  no,  really.     Was  he  on  stilts  ?  " 

"  Not  exactly,  but  on  pattens  four  or  five  inches  high." 

"But  what  for?" 

"  Why,  M.  Major-domo  !  How  can  a  man  as  intelli- 
gent as  yourself  ask  such  a  question  as  that?" 

"  I  confess  I  don't  understand  it,"  said  Johan,  biting 
his  lips. 

"  Well,  then,  M.  Major-domo,  you  will  easily  see  that 
if  the  two  operators  in  a  theatre  like  mine  arc  not  pretty 
nearly  of  the  same  height,  one  of  them  would  have  to  let 
his  head  appear,  which  would  not  produce  a  good  eifect 
among  the  burattini,  but  would  rather  look  as  if  an  inhab- 
itant of  Saturn  had  come  amongst  them  ;  or  else  the  other, 
the  shorter  of  the  two,  would  have  to  stretch  his  arms  up 
so  high,  that  he  could  not  endure  the  fatigue  through  two 
scenes." 


310 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


"  Then  your  assistant  wears  pattens  to  bring  him  up 
to  your  height !  Upon  my  word  that's  very  ingenious  !  " 
And  Johan  added,  with  a  sceptical  air  : 

"  It's  singular  that  I  did  not  hear  the  noise  of  those 
pattens,  when  he  was  going  down  stairs  a  while  ago." 

"  There  again,  M.  Major-domo,  your  natural  shrewd- 
ness seems  to  be  slumbering !  If  those  pattens  were  not 
well  shod  with  felt  they  would  make  an  insupportable  clat- 
tering in  the  theatre." 

"  Oh,  that's  the  reason,  is  it?  But  you  don't  explain 
to  me  how  it  is  that  this  fellow,  vulgar  and  stupid  as  he 
is,  can  support  you  so  brilliantly  ?  " 

"  It  can't  be  explained,"  answered  Christian  ;  ''but, 
nevertheless,  it  is  almost  always  the  way  with  an  artist. 
He  shines  on  the  stage — or  I  should  say,  in  this  case, 
under  the  stage  —  but  once  outside  the  theatre,  he  turns 
dark  again,  particularly  if  he  happens  to  have  the  bad 
habit  of  drinking  with  the  servants  in  the  families  where 
he  may  happen  to  stop." 

"  What !  Do  you  imagine  that  he  has  been  drinking 
here  with  —  " 

"  With  some  of  your  footmen.  They  must  have  given 
you  a  report  of  his  interesting  conversation,  M.  Major- 
domo,  since  you  are  so  well  informed  about  the  low  grade 
of  his  intelligence." 

Johau  bit  his  lips  again  ;  and  Christian  felt  convinced 
either  that  Puffo,  in  his  drunkenness,  had  betrayed  his 
incognito  in  a  measure,  or  that  Massarelli,  for  a  sum  of 
money,  had  done  so  without  any  reserve. 

The  only  name  that  Puffo  knew  him  by  was  Dulac,but 
Massarelli  had  known  him  under  all  his  successive  names, 
except,  perhaps,  that  of  Christian  Goefle,  so  recently  im- 
provised. Christian  tried  to  conjecture  how  this  might 
be,  while  observing  closely  the  major-domo's  evident  and 
keen  desire  to  see  his  face.  He  soon  came  to  the  con- 
clusion that  he  was  not  so  curious  to  satisfy 'his  doubts  as 
to  his  death's  head,  as  to  ascertain  whether  or  not  the 
performer  was  one  and  the  same  person  with  M.  Goefle's 
pretended  nephew,  whose  face  the  major-domo  had  seen 
plainly  the  evening  before. 


THE   SNOW  MAN.  311 

"  Come,  confess,"  the  latter  said  at  last,  after  many 
insidious  questions,  to  all  of  which  the  adventurer  had 
replied  very  guardedly  ;  "  if  some  agreeable  lady  —  a 
charming  young  person —  say  the  Countess  Margaret,  for 
instance,  should  ask  to  see  your  face,  would  you  be 
equally  obstinate  in  refusing?" 

"  Who  is  the  Countess  Margaret  ?  "  asked  Christian,  in 
the  most  innocent  manner  in  the  world,  though  he  felt  a 
great  inclination  to  give  M.  Johan  a  box  on  the  ear. 

"  Mon  Dieu!"  rejoined  the  major-domo,  "I  mentioned 
her  because  she  is  by  all  odds  the  most  beautiful  woman 
in  the  chateau  at  the  present  time.  Did  you  not  see  her  ?  " 

•"Pray  where  could  I  have  seen  her?  " 

"  In  the  front  row  of  ladies." 

"  Why !  do  you  suppose  that  when  I  am  playing  a 
piece  with  twenty  actors  in  it,  almost  entirely  alone,  I 
have  time  to  look  at  the  women?  — " 

"  I  don't  say  that,  but  really  now,  would  you  not  like 
to  please  a  beautiful  young  lady  ?  " 

"To  please  her?  M.  Johan,"  exclaimed  Christian, 
with  well-affected  emotion,  "  without  meaning  it,  you  are 
asking  me  a  very  painful  question.  You  do  not  seem  to 
know  that  nature  has  been  pleased  to  make  me  frightfully 
ugly,  and  that  my  unfortunate  appearance  is  my  only  rea- 
son for  taking  so  much  pains  to  conceal  myself." 

"It  is  so  reported,"  replied  Johan,  "but  the  contrary 
is  also  asserted ;  and  his  lordship,  as  well  as  all  the  com- 
pany, and  the  ladies  particularly,  are  extremely  anxious 
to  know  what  they  are  to  believe." 

"  I  certainly  could  not  subject  myself  to  the  pain  of 
gratifying  such  a  misplaced  desire  as  that.  I  prefer  to 
supply  you  with  evidence  which  will  enable  you  to  dissuade 
them." 

As  he  spoke,  Christian,  relying  upon  the  dim  light 
which  he  had  provided,  lifted  his  black  silk  mask,  and,  as 
it  were  precipitately,  and  with  a  kind  of  desperate  effort, 
suffered  the  major-domo  to  behold,  for  a  moment,  a  second 
mask  of  waxed  cloth,  so  skilfully  made  that  it  bore  every 
resemblance  to  an  actual  human  face  ;  without  close  ex- 
amination by  a  strong  light,  no  one  would  have  suspected 


312 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


the  cheat.  And  what  a  face  was  thus  disclosed  —  flat- 
nosed,  sallow,  and  hoi-ribly  blemished  by  a  great  wine- 
colored  birth-mark !  Johan,  in  spite  of  his  suspicious 
nature,  was  deceived,  and  could  not  refrain  from  an  ex- 
clamation of  disgust. 

"I  really  beg  your  pardon,  my  dear  friend,"  he  ex- 
claimed, recovering  himself,  "you  are  much  to  be  pitied  ; 
and  yet,  your  talent  and  your  wit  are  advantages  which  I 
envy  you." 

The  major-domo  was  himself  go  ugly  that  Christian 
could  scarcely  refrain  from  bursting  into  a  laugh  at  the 
idea  that  he  should  consider  himself  so  much  handsomer 
than  the  mask. 

"  And  now,"  he  said,  after  replacing  the  black  mask, 
"  tell  me  frankly  why  you  were  so  anxious  to  know  the 
extent  of  my  ugliness." 

"  Mon  Dieu!  "  exclaimed  Johan,  after  a  moment's  hes- 
itation, assuming  a  confiding  air,  "  I'll  tell  you.  And,  by 
the  way,  if  you  would  help  me  to  find  out  a  certain  se- 
cret —  a  foolish  joke  which  more  than  one  person  here 
is  interested  in  discovering,  you  would  confer  a  great  ob- 
ligation—  you  know  what  I  mean  —  an  obligation  that 
would  be  munificently  rewarded  by  the  master  of  the 
house.  It's  a  mere  piece  of  pleasantry ;  there's  a  bet 
about  it." 

"  I  would  like  nothing  better,"  answered  Christian, 
curious  to  hear  the  communication,  whose  nature,  how- 
ever, he  anticipated  ;  "  what  is  it?  " 

'  You  are  lodging  at  Stollborg,  are  you  not  ?  " 
'  Yes ;  you  would  not  take  me  in  here." 
'  Where  did  you  sleep  —  in  the  bear-room  ?  " 
'  I  did,  and  capitally  too." 

'  Capitally,  did  you  ?     The  ghost  they  talk  about  —  " 
'It  is  not  about  a  ghost  that  you  want  to  question  me. 
You  don't  believe  in  them  any  more  than  I  do." 

"  True  ;  but  there  was  a  strange  apparition  here  at  the 
ball,  whom  nobody  knew.  This  you  might  have  met  at 
Stollborg." 

"  No,  I  have  seen  no  apparition." 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


313 


"  But  when  I  say  an  apparition  —  Did  you  not  see  a 
lawyer  there,  one  M.  Goefle,  a  very  able  man?  " 

"  Yes  ;  I  had  the  honor  of  conversing  with  him  this 
morning.  He  occupies  the  room  there  with  two  beds  in 
it." 

'•  With  his  nephew?" 

"  I  saw  nothing  of  any  nephew." 

"  Nephew  or  not,  a  young  man  of  about  your  height, 
whose  voice  I  did  not  notice  particularly,  but  with  a  very 
agreeable  face,  dressed  in  a  black  suit  throughout  —  a 
very  good-looking  young  fellow  —  " 

"  Good-looking?  I  wish  to  heaven  it  could  have  been 
myself,  M.  Johan  !  But  I  was  so  very  sleepy  that  I 
should  hardly  have  known  it  even  if  he  had  been  there. 
I  only  saw  a  drunken  fellow  whom  they  call  Ulphilas." 

"And  did  M.  Goefle  see  nothing  of  this  stranger?" 

"  I  don't  think  he  did." 

"  Did  he  know  nothing  of  him?" 

"Ah!  that  reminds  me  —  yes,  I  recollect.  I  heard 
M.  Goefle  complaining*about  some  person  who  had  made 
use  of  his  name  to  attend  the  ball.  Is  that  it?  " 

"  Exactly." 

"•  But,  M.  Major-domo,  if  you  were  so  puzzled  about 
this  unknown,  why  didn't  you  have  him  followed?" 

"  We  were  not  puzzled  at  the  time.  He  had  given 
himself  out  for  a  near  relative  of  the  advocate,  and,  as 
a  matter  of  course,  we  expected  to  see  him  again.  It  was 
only  this  morning,  when  the  lawyer  had  disavowed  him, 
that  the  baron  thought  of  inquiring  who  the  unknown 
could  be,  who,  under  a  feigned  name,  had  ventured  to  in- 
troduce himself  into  the  house.  No  doubt  it  was  some  im- 
pertinent fellow  who  had  laid  a  wager  about  it ;  one  of 
the  students  from  the  Falun  Mining-school,  perhaps  — 
unless,  indeed,  he  really  should  be  a  natural  son  of  the 
advocate  —  as  he  himself,  it  seems,  intimated  —  whom  his 
father,  however,  does  not  permit  to  assume  his  name." 

"  All  that  seems  to  me  hardly  worth  the  trouble  of 
so  much  inquiry,"  observed  Christian,  with  an  air  of 
indifference.  "  Will  you  allow  me  now.  M.  Major-domo, 
to  go  and  have  some  supper  ?  " 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 

"Yes,  by  all  means.  You  shall  come  and  take  supper 
with  me." 

"No,  thank  you.  I  am  very  much  fatigued  ;  I  must 
beg  you  to  excuse  me." 

"  So  you  insist  on  going  back  to  Stollborg.  You  must 
be  very  poorly  accommodated  there." 

"Very  well,  on  the  contrary." 

"But  have  you  a  bed,  even?" 

"I  am  to  have  one  to  night." 

"Does  that  drunken  Ulphilas  provide  you  a  decent 
table?" 

"It  could  not  be  better." 

"Will  you  repeat  your  performance  for  us  to- 
morrow ?  " 

"At  what  time?" 

"The  same  as  this  evening." 

"With  great  pleasure.     Your  obedient  servant !  " 

"Ah,  a  single  word,  M.  Waldo.  Would  it  be  an 
indiscretion  to  inquire  what  is  your  real  name  ?  " 

"By  no  means,  M.  Johan.  My  real  name  is  Stenta- 
rello,  very  much  at  your  service." 

"  You  are  a  wag.  I  suppose  it  is  you  who  always 
play  that  part  in  a  comedy?" 

"Always,  except  when  it  is  my  assistant." 

"You  are  mysterious !" 

"Certainly,  in  matters  that  relate  to  the  secrets  of  my 
theatre.  Otherwise,  I  should  have  neither  reputation 
nor  success." 

"Well,  at  any  rate,  will  you  allow  me  to  inquire  why 
you  named  one  of  your  characters  the  baron?" 

"Ah,  as  to  that,  you  must  ask  the  footman  who  made 
Puffo  drunk.  For  my  part,  I  am  used  to  his  blunders, 
and  I  should  never  have  noticed  it,  if  he  had  not  told  me 
about  it  himself,  in  a  great  fright." 

"Had  he  perhaps  picked  up  some  foolish,  gossip  or 
other?" 

"About  what?     Will  you  be  so  good  as  to  explain?" 

"No,  no,  it  is  not  worth  the  trouble,"  replied  Johan, 
who  saw  —  thanks  to  Christian's  adroitness,  or  perhaps 
his  carelessness — that  their  relative  positions  had  be- 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


315 


come  inverted,  and  that  he  himself,  instead  of  asking 
questions,  was  being  compelled  to  answer  them.  But 
still  he  could  not  help  returning  to  a  subject  to  which  he 
had  already  referred. 

"  So,  then,"  he  said,  "it  seems  you  have  a  scene  so 
much  like  Stollborg  as  to  be  mistaken  for  it." 

"I  had  one  that  happened  to  look  a  little  like  Stoll- 
borg, yes,  it  is  true  ;  but  I  completed  the  resemblance 
on  purpose." 

"Why?" 

"Why,  as  I  told  you,  by  way  of  a  compliment  to  the 
baron.  I  always  make  a  point  of  representing  some 
locality  in  the  neighborhood  wherever  I  may  happen  to 
be  performing,  so  as  to  add  to  the  attractiveness  of  my 
exhibitions.  At  my  next  stopping-place  Stollborg  will 
be  changed  again,  and  a  new  scene  displayed.  Did  the 
baron  think  it  poorly  painted?  No  wonder,  I  had  so 
very  little  time." 

While  talking,  Christian  had  amused  himself  by  study- 
ing the  disagreeable  countenance  of  Johan.  He  was  a 
man  of  about  fifty,  rather  stout,  vulgar  in  manner,  and 
with  features  whose  expression  seemed  at  first  good- 
natured  and  apathetic.  But  even  the  night  before,  Chris- 
tian, as  he  handed  him  the  letter  of  invitation  found  in 
M.  Goefle's  pocket,  had  detected  a  sort  of  inquisitorial 
watchfulness,  veiled  by  an  assumed  indifference,  in  his 
oblique  glance.  He  was  still  more  struck  at  present  by 
these  indications  of  a  false,  hypocritical  character  — 
a  sort  of  caricature,  as  it  seemed,  of  his  master's, 
the  baron.  Still,  as  Johan  was  nothing  after  all  but 
an  upper  servant,  without  education  or  real  finesse, 
Christian  had  no  difficulty  in  playing  a  better  comedy 
than  he,  and  in  effectually  persuading  him  of  the  perfect 
innocence  of  his  intentions.  And  in  the  meanwhile,  for 
his  own  part,  he  obtained  from  the  interview  a  quasi- 
certitude  in  regard  to  the  story  of  Baroness  Hilda.  It 
seemed  to  him  perfectly  evident  that  a  drama  of  some 
kind  had  been  enacted  at  Stollborg,  and  that  the  baron 
had  either  been  terrified  or  enraged  at  witnessing  his  per- 


316  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

formance ;  since  it  had  represented  in  dramatic  form, 
no  matter  with  what  intention,  this  triple  conjunction  : 
a  prison,  a  victim,  and  a  jailer. 


X. 

A  S  for  Johan,  he  was  assuredly  the  baron's  confidant, 
•£*•  and  perhaps  had  been  one  of  the  actors  in  this 
drama.  He  had  tried  to  discover  how  far  Christian 
Waldo,  as  a  wandering  story-teller,  had  become  ac- 
quainted with  the  mystery ;  but  Christian  had  adroitly 
insinuated  that  the  servants  of  the  chateau  had  been 
guilty  of  an  indiscretion,  and,  for  the  present  at  least, 
had  freed  both  himself  and  M.  Goefle  from  any  sup- 
posed participation  in  the  matter. 

We  will  now  leave  Christian,  who  proceeded  phil- 
osophically to  drive  the  heavily-laden  Jean  from  the  new 
chateau,  and  revert  to  certain  matters  that  had  been 
occurring  during  his  interview  with  the  major-domo. 
Let  us  go  back  to  the  moment  when  M.  Goefle  set  out 
for  Stollborg :  the  moon  was  rising,  and  the  aurora 
borealis  beginning  to  shine  with  renewed  splendor,  and 
lighted  on  his  way  by  their  combined  effulgence,  he 
walked  rapidly  across  the  lake,  humming  a  tune,  and 
every  now  and  then  unconsciously  gesticulating. 

By  this  time  supper  had  been  served  to  the  guests  at 
the  new  chateau,  and  the  size  and  beauty  of  the  splendid 
Christinas-cake,  which,  according  to  the  Norwegian 
usage,  was  to  remain  uncut  upon  the  table  until  the  sixth 
of  January,  was  attracting  the  admiration  of  the  ladies. 
It  was  a  masterpiece  of  confectionery  ;  and,  with  due 
respect  to  the  gallantry  of  the  period  as  well  as  to  the 
observances  of  a  religious  festival,  it  had  been  made  to 
resemble  the  temple  of  Paphos.  It  was  ornamented 
with  monuments,  trees,  fountains,  people  and  animals. 
The  pastry-work,  and  crystallized  sugar  of  all  colors, 
imitated  the  most  precious  materials,  and  were  elab- 
orately wrought  into  the  most  fantastic  forms. 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


3'7 


The  baron,  on  the  plea  of  having  important  letters  to 
read  and  answer,  had  intrusted  the  duty  of  doing  the 
honors  of  the  supper-table  to  an  elderly  single  lady  of 
his  family,  a  person  thoroughly  accomplished  in  the 
duties  of  the  mistress  of  the  house,  and  a  complete 
cipher  in  all  other  respects.  The  truth  was,  that  the 
baron,  who  never  lacked  excuses  for  excluding  himself 
when  he  happened  to  feel  preoccupied,  was,  at  the 
present  moment,  shut  up  in  his  private  cabinet  with  a 
man  with  a  pale  face,  who  called  himself  Tebaldo,  and 
who  was  no  other  than  Guido  Massarelli.  Guido  had 
not  obtained  this  tete-a-tete  without  effort.  Johan, 
who  was  very  jealous  of  his  master's  confidence,  had 
tried  to  extract  his  secret  from  him,  so  as  to  turn 
it  to  his  own  advantage ;  but  Massarelli  was  not  the 
man  to  be  deceived  in  that  way.  He  had  insisted ; 
and  after  waiting  about  the  chateau  for  the  whole  day, 
he  had  at  last  succeeded  in  obtaining  the  interview, 
whose  results  he  had  anticipated,  when  he  had  boasted 
in  advance  to  Christian  that  he  was  a  friend  of  the 
family.  The  conversation,  which  was  carried  on. in 
French,  begun  with  a  strange  narrative,  to  Avhich  the 
baron  listened  with  a  sarcastic  and  contemptuous  ex- 
pression. 

"You  have  made  a  very  startling  statement,"  he 
observed,  at  last,  to  Massarelli;  "and  I  should  even 
say,  if  I  could  believe  what  I  have  heard,  a  very  im- 
portant revelation.  But  I  have  so  often  been  deceived 
in  matters  of  a  delicate  nature,  that  I  must  insist  on  other 
proofs  than  mere  verbal  ones,  before  trusting  you.  The 
story  you  have  related  is  strange,  romantic,  improb- 
able—" 

"And  yet  M.  Stenson  acknowledged  its  accuracy; 
he  did  not  even  attempt  to  deny  it,"  replied  the  Italian. 

"So  you  say,"  coldly  answered  the  baron;  "unfor- 
tunately, I  am  unable  to  corroborate  your  assertions. 
If  I  should  interrogate  Stenson,  he  would  certainly 
deny  it,  whether  it  be  true  or  imaginary." 

"  Very  probably,  your  lordship.  A  man  so  capable  of 
dissimulation  as  to  have  imposed  upon  you  for  twenty 


318  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

years,  will  not  be  at  a  loss  for  a  falsehood  now ;  but,  if 
you  will  contrive  to  overhear  a  conversation  between  us, 
you  can  learn  the  truth.  I  will  undertake  to  make  him 
admit  it  again,  and  in  your  hearing,  provided  he  has 
no  suspicion  of  your  presence." 

"  It  would  not  be  difficult,  so  deaf  as  he  is,  to  intro- 
duce one's  self  into  his  premises ;  but  since,  according 
to  him,  the  person  is  dead,  why  need  I  concern  myself 
about  the  past  life  of  old  Stenson?  He  must  neces- 
sarily have  acted  in  good  faith  ;  and  though  he  had  done 
me  a  great  wrong  by  keeping  silence,  and  thus  permit- 
ting odious  suspicions  to  rest  upon  me,  yet  —  since  time 
has  rectified  former  prejudices  —  " 

"Not  so  entirely  as  your  lordship  seems  to  believe," 
observed  the  Italian,  who  was  scarcely  inferior  to  the 
baron  himself  in  cool  audacity.  "The  story  is  current 
throughout  the  country,  and  Christian  "Waldo  must  cer- 
tainly have  heard  it  on  his  way  here." 

"If  that  were  the  case,"  said  the  baron,  with  a  look 
betraying  his  secret  rage,  "that  juggler  would  never 
ha^e  dared  introduce  it  in  public,  and  before  my  very 
face,  into  a  scene  of  his  comedy." 

"And  yet  one  of  his  scenes  did  really  represent  the 
old  donjon.  I  examined  the  locality  to-day,  and  Chris- 
tian Waldo,  who  is  lodging  at  Stollborg,  must  certainly 
have  done  the  same.  The  Italians  —  they  are  very  bold 
fellows,  your  lordship,  these  Italians  ! " 

"I  see  they  are,  M.  Tebaldo.  You  say  that  this 
Waldo  is  lodging  at  Stollborg,  and  therefore  must  have 
painted  this  scene  on  purpose,  and  from  nature.  It  is 
hardly  probable  that  he  could  have  done  it  so  quickly. 
The  resemblance  between  his  decoration  and  the  old 
tower  must  have  been  accidental." 

"I  think  not,  your  lordship  ;  Waldo  has  great  facility, 
and  paints  as  rapidly  as  he  improvises." 

"You  know  him,  then?" 

"Yes,  your  lordship." 

"What  is  his  real  name?" 

"That  is  what  I  proposed  to  communicate  to  your 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


319 


lordship,  if  the  sum  I  have  mentioned  does  not  seem  to 
you  exorbitant." 

"But  what  interest  can  I  have  in  learning  his  real 
name?" 

"An  interest  that  is  immense  ;  all  important." 

The  emphasis  with  which  the  pretended  Tebaldo  pro- 
nounced these  last  words,  seemed  to  make  some  impres- 
sion on  the  baron. 

"You  say,"  he  resumed,  after  a  pause,  "that  the 
person  referred  to  is  dead?" 

"Stenson  affirms  that  it  is  so." 

"And  you?" 

"I  doubt  it." 

"Perhaps  Christian  Waldo  knows?" 

"He  knows  nothing  at  all  about  it." 

"You  are  certain  of  that?" 

"I  am  certain." 

"But  you  are  trying  to  give  me  to  understand  that 
this  person  is  the  same  with  — " 

"I  did  not  say  that,  your  lordship." 

"Then  you  are  trying  to  say  it  and  not  to  say  it. 
You  wish  to  be  paid  in  advance  for  information  probably 
chimerical." 

"No,  I  have  only  demanded  your  lordship's  signature, 
to  be  used  in  case  you  shall  afterwards  be  satisfied  with 
what  you  receive  from  me." 

"I  never  give  my  signature.  If  any  one  doubts  me, 
so  much  the  worse  for  him." 

"  In  that  case,  your  lordship,  I  will  carry  my  secret 
away  with  me  again.  He  whom  it  concerns,  at  least  as 
much  as  it  does  yourself,  shall  have  it  for  nothing." 

Tebaldo  was  going  resolutely  out  of  the  cabinet, 
when  the  baron  recalled  him.  These  two  men  were 
both  secretly  agitated,  and  for  a  similar  cause  :  they 
were  afraid  of  each  other.-  Before  Guido  had  had  time 
to  lay  his  hand  upon  the  knob  of  the  door,  he  said  to 
himself:  "lam  crazy;  the  baron  will  have  me  assas- 
sinated to  secure  my  silence."  Upon  his  side,  the  baron 
reflected:  "Perhaps  he  has  already  spoken;  he  alone 
can  tell  me  what  I  really  have  to  fear." 


320 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


"M.  Tebaldo,"  said  the  baron,  "suppose  I  should 
tell  you  that  I  have  known  him  longer  than  you  imag- 
ine?" 

"  I  should  be  delighted  on  your  account,  your  lord- 
ship," answered  the  Italian,  with  audacity. 

"This  person  is  not  dead.  He  is  here — or  at  least 
he  was  here'  yesterday.  I  saw  him,  and  recognized  him." 

"Recognized  him?"  said  Massarelli,  with  surprise. 

"Yes,  recognized.  I  know  what  I  am  saying.  He 
called  himself  by  the  name  of  Goefle,  either  with  or 
without  the  permission  of  a  respectable  gentleman  of 
that  name.  You  can  therefore  speak  freely.  You  see 
that  I  am  on  the  right  track,  and  that  it  is  simply  pu- 
erile to  endeavor  to  direct  my  suspicions  upon  this  moun- 
tebank, Waldo." 

The  Italian,  astonished,  was  silent.  He  had  arrived 
only  that  morning,  and  knew  nothing  of  what  had 
passed  the  evening  before.  He  had  met  M.  Goefle,  but 
without  knowing  who  he  was.  He  could  not  speak 
Swedish,  and  still  less  Dalercarlian  ;  and  had  found  no  one 
to  talk  to  except  the  major-domo,  who  could  speak  a 
little  French,  but  was  very  distrustful.  Accordingly 
he  was  perfectly  ignorant  of  the  appearance  of  Christian 
Goefle  at  the  ball,  and  really  did  not  know  what  the 
baron  was  speaking  about.  The  latter,  on  seeing  his 
surprise  and  discomfiture,  imagined  that  he  was  con- 
founded, by  finding  him  already  in  possession  of  the 
truth. 

"  Come,"  he  said,  "  speak  out,  and  make  an  end  of 
it.  Tell  me  the  whole.  You  may  rely  upon  a  i-ecom- 
pense  corresponding  to  the  service  which  you  may  ren- 
der me." 

But  the  Italian  had  already  recovered  his  assurance. 
Persuaded  that  the  baron  was  on  a  false  scent,  and 
resolved  not  to  surrender  his  secret  for  an  inadequate 
recompense,  his  only  thought  at  present  was  to  gain 
time,  and  to  escape  from  the  clutches  of  this  man  who 
was  reputed  so  terrible,  and  who  might  play  him  an  ill 
turn  in  case  of  a  peremptory  refusal  to  explain  himself. 

"Is  your    lordship  willing,"    he    said,    "to   give  me 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


321 


twenty-four  thousand  crowns,  and  allow  me  twenty-four 
hours  to  place  in  your  presence,  and  within  your  power, 
the  person  whom  it  is  so  much  for  your  interest  to 
know?" 

"Twenty-four  thousand  crowns  is  little,"  replied  the 
baron,  ironically  ;  "twenty-four  hours  is  a  great  deal." 

"It  is  but  little,  for  a  man  who  is  alone." 

"Are  you  in  want  of  assistance?  I  have  very  adroit 
and  trustworthy  people  in  my  employment." 

"If  I  am  to  share  the  twenty-four  thousand  crowns 
with  them,  I  would  rather  act  alone,  at  my  own  risk  and 
peril." 

"But  which  is  it  that  you  propose  to  do?" 

"Whatever  your  lordship  shall  direct." 

"Indeed  !     You  seem  to  be  suggesting — " 

At  this  moment,  the  baron  was  interrupted  by  a  sort 
of  scratching  upon  the  outside  of  one  of  the  doors  of  the 
cabinet. 

"  Wait  here  for  me,"  he  said  to  Massarelli,  and  went 
out  into  another  room. 

Giiido  now  rapidly  reviewed  the  situation.  He  was 
terrified  by  the  baron's  calmness,  and  began  to  think  that 
correspondence  would  be  a  more  prudent  mode  of  trans- 
acting the  business.  Hoping  to  escape,  he  crossed  the 
room,  and  tried  the  door  by  which  he  had  entered.  It 
was  shut  and  latched  by  some  secret  device,  which  he 
could  not  detect,  notwithstanding  a  certain  degree  of  me- 
chanical skill.  He  looked  out  of  the  window  ;  it  was 
eighty  feet  from  the  ground. 

He  noiselessly  tried  the  door  by  which  the  baron  1m:  1 
gone  out ;  it  was  as  close  shut  as  the  other.  The  desk 
stood  open,  and  within  it  was  visible  a  delectable  assem- 
blage of  rouleaux  of  gold. 

"  Ah  !  "  said  Massareli  to  himself,  with  a  sigh  ;  "  the 
doors  must  needs  be  strong,  and  the  locks  good,  if  they 
trust  me  here  alone  with  all  those  bright  piece?." 

His  position  began  to  seem  to  him  serious,  and  even 
alarming.  He  listened,  hoping  to  catch  what  was  said  in 
the  next  room,  but  could  not  distinguish  a  single  word. 


322 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


However,  we  shall  take  the  liberty  of  reporting  the  con- 
versation that  was  held  there  : 

"Well,  Johan,"  said  the  baron,  "did  you  succeed? 
Did  you  see  this  Waldo's  face  ?  " 

"  Yes,  your  lordship.  He  is  not  yesterday's  man  ;  he 
is  a  monster." 

"  Worse  looking  than  you?  " 

"I  am  a  beauty  compared  with  him." 

"  Did  you  have  a  good  look  at  him?  " 

"  As  distinct  as  I  have  of  you,  at  the  present  moment." 

"  Did  you  take  him  by  surprise  ?  " 

"  Not  at  all.  I  said  I  was  curious  to  see  him,  and  he 
was  so  obliging  as  to  unmask." 

"And  how  about  the  other,  the  false  Goefle?" 

"No  news." 

"  Very  singular.  Has  nobody  seen  anything  of  him 
anywhere  ?  " 

"  This  Waldo  did  not  meet  him  at  Stollborg,  and  M. 
Goefle  knows  nothing  at  all  about  him." 

"  Perhaps  Ulphilas  may  have  seen  him  ?  " 

"  Ulphilas  declares  that  nobody  has  been  at  Stollborg 
but  M.  Goefle,  his  domestic,  and  this  frightful  looking 
fellow,  whom  I  just  now  saw  myself." 

"M.  Goefle  has  a  domestic,  has  he?  That  is  our  un- 
known in  disguise." 

"It's  a  child  of  ten  years  old." 

"Then  I  am  quite  at  a  loss." 

"  Has  your  lordship  received  any  information  from  this 
Italian?" 

"No;  he  is  either  a  liar  or  a  lunatic.  But  in  any 
event,  I  must  discover  the  incognito  fellow  who  insulted 
me.  You  say  he  smoked  and  talked  with  Major  Larrson 
and  his  friends?" 

"  Yes,  in  the  lower  saloon." 

"Then  those  young  men  are  hiding  him ;  he  is  at  the 
major's  bostoelle  ! " 

"  I  will  have  it  watched.  The  major  is  not  the  man  to 
keep  a  secret,  with  that  careless  way  of  his.  He  came 
here  this  morning,  and  has  not  been  home  to-day.  His 
lieutenant —  " 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


323 


"  Is  an  ass  !     But  these  young  people  hate  me." 

"  What  have  you  to  fear  from  this  unknown?" 

"  Everything,  and  nothing.  What  do  you  think  of 
thisTebaldo?" 

"  A  blackguard." 

"  Then  we  must  not  let  go  of  him.     You  understand  ? " 

"Perfectly." 

"  How  far  are  they  with  supper?  " 

"  The  dessert  will  be  served  shortly." 

"  I  must  go  and  show  myself.  Give  orders  to  get  out 
my  handsomest  sleigh  and  the  best  four-horse  team." 

"Do  you  join  the  race  on  the  lake?" 

"  No ;  on  the  contrary,  I  shall  try  and  rest.  But  I 
want  the  people  here  to  think  me  remarkably  well ;  I  shall 
be  detained  by  public  business.  Have  a  courier  all  ready 
and  booted,  and  be  sure  that  he  is  seen.  Give  orders 
and  .counter-orders  about  him.  Let  it  be  supposed  that 
I  am  very  busy,  and,  of  course,  in  good  health." 

"  Then  you  want  your  beloved  heirs  to  burst  with 
vexation?" 

"  I  want  to  bury  them,  Johan." 

"  Amen/  my  dear  master  !  Shall  I  wait  on  you  as  far 
as  the  supper-room?" 

"  No,  I  like  to  go  silently  and  take  my  company  by 
surprise  ;  just  now,  especially." 

The  baron  accordingly  departed  for  the  supper-room, 
and  Johan  went  into  the  cabinet,  where  Massarelli,  who 
was  waiting  with  great  anxiety,  found  the  time  pass 
very  slowly. 

"Come,  my  boy,"  said  Johan,  with  his  most  gracious 
air,  "  it's  supper-time." 

"  But —  am  I  not  to  see  the  baron  again  this  evening? 
He  told  me  to  wait  here." 

"He  sends  you  word  by  me  to  have  a  quiet  supper, 
and  wait  for  further  orders.  Do  you  suppose  you  are  the 
only  person  he  has  to  listen  to?  Come  along.  Are  you 
afraid  of  me?  Do  I  look  like  a  bad  sort  of  fellow?  " 

"  You  do,  upon  my  word,"  said  Guido  to  himself,  as 
he  slipped  a  stiletto,  which  he  knew  how  to  handle  very 
skilfully,  into  his  sleeve. 


324  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

Johau  espied  the  performance,  and  hurried  out  of  the 
room.  Guido  endeavored  to  follow,  but  he  was  seized  by 
two  colossal  fellows,  who  were  stationed  at  the  door,  and 
who  led  him,  with  a  pistol  at  his  head,  to  the  prison  of 
the  chateau.  There  he  was  searched  and  disarmed,  and 
then  handed  over  to  the  guardian  of  the  place,  a  sort  of 
bravo  and  adventurer,  in  short  a  professional  villain,  who 
Avas  known  in  the  chateau  as  "  the  captain,"  but  who 
never  made  his  appearance  in  the  saloons. 

Johan,  who  had  followed,  supervised  the  examination 
that  Avas  made  of  Guide's  pockets  and  clothes  Avith  a  be- 
nign air.  When  certain  that  he  had  no  papers  concealed 
about  him,  he  AvithdreAv,  saying  : 

"  Good-night,  my  young  friend.  Next  time,  don't  try 
any  tricks." 

He  added  to  himself: 

"He  said  he  had  the  proofs  of  a  great  secret.  Either 
he  has  lied  like  an  idiot,  or  he  has  been  cautious,  like 
a  man  that  understands  business  ;  but  he  Avas  not  cautious 
enough.  So  much  the  worse  for  him.  A  small  dose  of 
imprisonment  Avill  fetch  either  the  proofs  or  the  con- 
fession." 

Meanwhile  the  baron,  although  in  great  physical  pain, 
quietly  entered  the  supper-room,  ate  a  little  Avith  an  air 
of  appetite,  and  Avas  as  gay  as  it  was  in  his  nature  to  be. 
That  is,  he  stated,  Avith  an  icy  smile,  sundry  propositions 
of  a  frightfully  atheistical  kind,  and  indulged  in  various 
odious  and  cruel  insinuations  about  sundry  persons  who 
Avere  absent. 

When  calumniating  his  neighbors,  it  was  the  practice 
of  this  amiable  gentleman  to  speak  in  a  low  voice,  and 
Avith  an  air  of  indifference  ;  but,  on  such  occasions,  his 
heirs  and  flatterers  Avere  only  too  ready  to  repeat  his 
witty  sayings  Avith  much  noise  and  laughter.  As  was 
natural,  many  persons  present  Avould  be  shocked  by  these 
remarks ;  but,  by  accepting  their  host's  invitation,  they 
had  put  it  out  of  their  power  to  contradict  him  boldly, 
and  such  timid  defence  of  the  absent  as  they  ventured 
upon  only  served,  as  a  matter  of  course,  to  make  their 
case  the  Avorse.  The  baron  would  repeat  his  remarks 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


325 


with  an  air  of  disdainful  bravado,  and  would  Be  eagerly 
sustained  by  his  satellites.  Those  of  his  guests  who  were 
really  right-minded  could  only  sigh  and  blush  at  their  own 
weakness  in  having  allowed  themselves  to  be  dragged  into 
such  an  ogre's  den.  But  the  master  of  the  house  never 
protracted  any  discussion.  After  hurling  some  bitter  sar- 
casm at  good-natured  and  timid  people,  he  would  rise  and 
go  out,  leaving  it  quite  uncertain  as  to  whether  or  not  he 
intended  to  return.  A  universal  sense  of  constraint  Avould 
prevail,  until  it  became  evident  that  he  was  not  going  to 
return,  and  then  everybody  would  take  breath,  even  his 
most  unscrupulous  dependents,  who  were  quite  as  uneasy 
in  his  presence  as  the  rest  of  the  company. 

On  this  evening,  however,  Baron  Olaus  lost  a  good  op- 
portunity of  revenging  himself,  and  inflicting  pain  upon 
another.  Had  he  known  of  Margaret's  two  visits  to  Stoll- 
borg,  he  would  not  have  failed  to  proclaim  the  fact  in 
some  bitterly  satirical  way.  Fortunately,  Providence  had 
guarded  the  young  girl's  innocent  secret.  Her  enemy, 
who  would  have  read  in  her  conduct  conclusive  proofs 
that  the  counterfeit  Goefle  was  at  Stollborg,  had  not  re- 
ceived the  slightest  hint  on  the  subject.  Johan  had 
caused  Ulphilas  to  be  closely  questioned  about  all  the  per- 
sons who  had  visited  the  old  tower  in  the  course  of  the 
day  ;  but  Ulphilas  had  not  seen  Margaret,  and  he  had  a 
sufficient  reason  for  making  a  singularly  appropriate  reply 
to  all  inquiries  about  Christian's  appearance  ;  to  wit,  the 
terror  with  which  he  had  been  inspired  by  the  young 
man's  grimaces  and  threats  in  an  unknown  tongue.  To 
Ulphilas  he  had  appeared  even  more  frightful  without  a 
mask  than  he  had  seemed  to  Johan  with  one  ;  the  asser- 
tions of  the  boor  satisfied  the  major-domo  that  his  opin- 
ion was  correct,  and  led  him  to  confirm  the  baron  in  his 
error.  The  result  of  the  investigation  was,  therefore, 
that  the  handsome  Christian  Goefle  had  disappeared,  and 
that  the  real  Christian  Waldo  was  a  monster. 

The  baron  communicated  this  latter  piece  of  intelligence 
to  the  party  at  the  supper-table  with  a  kind  of  satisfaction  ; 
for,  just  as  he  came  in,  they  were  praising  the  artist,  and 


3 26  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

he  found 'a  certain  pleasure  in  dissipating  an  agreeable 
illusion. 

"  You  ought  not  to  spoil  his  beauty  in  the  eyes  of 
Countess  Margaret,  baron,"  said  Olga,  "  she  was  enthu- 
siastic over  his  delivery,  and  now  I  wager  anything  that 
she  will  not  take  the  least  pleasure  in  listening  to  him." 

Margaret,  who  was  seated  near  Olga  and  the  baron, 
pretended  not  to  hear,  so  that  she  need  not  be  obliged  to 
answer,  in  case  the  latter  should  seek  to  enter  into  conver- 
sation with  her,  as  he  had  already  tried  in  vain  to  do  sev- 
eral times  since  the  previous  evening. 

"  You  think,  then,"  resumed  the  baron,  still  addressing 
Olga,  but  speaking  quite  loud,  "  that  Countess  Mar- 
garet would  not  be  touched  by  a  lover's  plea,  unless  it 
should  be  urged  by  a  young  and  handsome  man." 

"  I  am  sure  of  it,"  answered  Olga,  lowering  her  voice  ; 
"  and  no  man  is  handsome,  in  her  eyes,  who  is  more  than 
twenty-five  years  old." 

Olga  intended  this  as  a  delicate  compliment  to  her 
semi-centennial  intended,  but  he  was  not  in  a  good  hu- 
mor, and  the  arrow  missed  aim. 

"  She  is  probably  quite  right,"  he  replied,  so  low  that 
no  one  but  the  young  Russian  could  hear  him  ;  "  the  longer 
one  lives  after  that  fortunate  age  the  more  one  loses  one's 
good  looks,  and  the  less  can  he  expect  to  marry  for  love." 

"  True,"  said  Olga,  "  if  he  does  lose  his  good  looks, 
but  —  " 

"  But  even  if  he  does  not  become  altogether  horrible," 
persisted  the  baron,  "he  will  still  be  fortunate,  if  he  is 
able  to  contract  a  sensible  marriage." 

Olga  was  about  to  reply,  but  he  closed  her  mouth  by 
adding : 

"  Do  not  find  fault  with  that  poor  child.  She  has  one 
great  merit  in  my  eyes  —  she  is  sincere.  When  she  hates 
people  she  shows  it  so  frankly,  that  the  fortunate  man  who 
shall  succeed  in  pleasing  her  may  trust  her  completely. 
She  is  a  person  who  will  never  deceive." 

Olga  had  no  opportunity  to  reply,  for  the  baron  turned 
away  and  began  talking  to  some  one  else. 

The  young  Russian  was  extremely  irritated,  and  very 


THE  SNO  W  MAN, 


327 


much  disquieted.  When  they  arose  from  the  table,  Mar- 
garet, who  was  equally  anxious,  though  from  a  very  dif- 
ferent cause,  approached  her. 

"  What  was  the  baron  saying?"  she  asked,  drawing 
her  aside ;  "  he  was  talking  about  me,  I  know,  for  he 
was  looking  straight  at  me  for  two  or  three  minutes." 

"You  only  fancied  so,"  answered  Olga,  dryly ;  "he 
does  not  think  of  you  at  all  any  more." 

"  Ah !  I  wish  I  could  be  sure  of  it.  Tell  me  the 
truth,  dear.  Is  it  so?" 

"  Your  anxiety,  Margaret,  is  not  very  delicate,  allow 
me  to  say.  You  think  that,  in  spite  of  your  severity  to 
him,  he  still  adores  you." 

"Very  well,  why  not?"  asked  Margaret,  resolving  to 
pique  her  companion  for  the  sake  of  getting  at  the  truth ; 
"perhaps  I  shall  succeed  in  supplanting  you,  in  despite 
of  myself,  exactly  by  being  severe  !  " 

A  flash  of  wounded  vanity  gleamed  in  the  eyes  of  the 
pretty  Russian. 

"  Margaret,"  she  said,  "you  want  Avar,  and  you  shall 
have  it.  Here,  take  back  your  present !  You  gave  me  a 
handsome  bracelet,  but  I  don't  want  it  any  longer.  Here 
is  a  ring  that  is  much  handsomer." 

She  drew  a  box  from  her  pocket,  which  she  opened ;  it 
contained  two  ornaments  —  Margaret's  bracelet  and  the 
baron's  ring. 

"  The  black  diamond  ! "  cried  Margaret,  shrinking  back 
in  terror.  "  What !  are  you  not  afraid  to  touch  it?" 

But  before  Olga  could  reply,  she  recovered  herself: 

"No  matter,  no  matter,"  she  said,  embracing  her,  "I 
decline  war,  dear  friend,  and  I  really  thank  you,  with  all 
my  heart,  for  showing  me  your  engagement-ring.  Keep 
the  bracelet,  I  beg  of  you  ;  be  assured  of  my  thanks  and 
my  friendship." 

Olga  burst  into  tears. 

"  Margaret,"  she  said,  "  if  you  betray  me  I  am  ru- 
ined. I  swore  to  keep  my  engagement  secret  for  eight 
days  ;  and  if  the  baron  suspects  that  I  have  failed  in  my 
word — and  he  will,  if  you  show  how  glad  you  are  —  he 


328 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


will  break  it  off,  and  begin  to  think  of  you  again  —  espe- 
cially since  he  has  never  ceased  to  do  so." 

"And  that  is  what  you  are  crying  for?  Why  then, 
you  love  him,  do  you  not?  Well,  my  dear  friend,  how- 
ever strange  your  preference  seems  to  me,  it  sets  you 
right,  in  my  opinion.  I  thought  that  you  were  merely 
ambitious.  If  you  love,  I  love  you  —  and  I  am  sorry  for 
you !  " 

"Ah!"  said  Olga,  "you  are  sorry  for  me,  are  you 
not?" 

Drawing  Margaret  to  the  end  of  the  gallery,  she  sobbed 
upon  her  shoulder,  and  could  scarcely  keep  from  breaking 
out  into  violent  hysterical  cries.  Margaret  carried  her 
away  toher  own  room,  where,  after  a  time,  she  quieted  her. 

"  There,  I  am  well  again  now,"  said  Olga,  rising  ;  "  I 
have  had  two  or  three  such  attacks  since  yesterday,  but 
this  is  the  last ;  I  feel  it.  I  have  made  up  my  mind  ;  I  in- 
tend to  be  calm.  I  can  trust  you,  and  I  will  not  be  weak, 
I  will  not  be  afraid,  I  will  not  suffer  any  longer." 

She  took  the  ring  from  her  pocket,  put  it  on  her  finger, 
and  turned  pale  again  as  she  gazed  upon  it,  with  a  melan- 
choly expression.  Then,  taking  it  off,  she  said  : 

"  I  must  not  wear  it  yet." 

And  she  replaced  it  in  the  box,  and  in  her  pocket. 

Margaret  left  her  without  understanding  what  was 
really  passing  in  her  mind.  This  strange  passion  for  a  man 
of  the  baron's  age  and  character  seemed  to  her  inexplicable, 
but  she  was  so  generous  and  so  simple-hearted  that  she 
believed  in  it ;  Avhile  the  truth  was  that  Olga,  seized  with  a 
sudden  hatred  for  her  betrothed  husband,  and  disgust  at 
her  betrothal  ring,  was  struggling  against  what  she  called 
her  human  Aveakness  — was  trying  hard  to  quell  the  revolt 
of  her  heart,  her  mind,  her  whole  being,  so  that  she  might 
consummate,  without  shrinking,  her  unhappy  and  dau- 
•gerous  conquest  of  a  great  name  and  a  high  social  position. 

During  this  scene  the  baron  had  been  giving  orders  for 
the  race  and  masquerade,  as  if  he  had  expected  to  be 
present  at  them  himself.  But,  having  done  this,  he  left 
his  guests  to  make  their  preparations  for  the  evening's  en- 
tertainment, and  retired  to  his  own  room,  worn  out  with 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


339 


fatigue  and  pain.  In  the  meanwhile  his  horses,  magni- 
ficently harnessed,  and  restrained  with  difficulty  by  the 
coachman,  who  pretended  to  be  waiting  for  his  master, 
were  gayly  prancing  before  his  private  door. 

He  was,  in  fact,  shut  up  with  his  physician,  a  young 
man  of  larger  attainments  than  experience,  who,  for  a 
year  past,  had  been  attached  exclusively  to  his  service. 

"  Doctor,"  said  he,  putting  aside  a  dose  which  the 
young  man  offered  him  in  a  timid  and  apprehensive  man- 
ner, "you  are  not  treating  me  properly!  More  opium, 
I'll  venture  ! " 

"  Your  lordship  requires  quieting  medicines  ;  your  nerv- 
ous system  is  in  a  state  of  extreme  agitation." 

"By  Jove  !  I  know  that  perfectly  well ;  but  pray  soothe 
without  weakening  me.  Relieve  me  from  this  convul- 
sive tremor,  but  do  not  deprive  me  of  my  strength." 

The  sick  man  was  demanding  an  impossibility,  but  the 
physician  dared  not  tell  him  so. 

"  I  am  in  hopes,"  he  said,  "  that  this  draught  will  quiet 
without  enfeebling  you." 

"Well,  but  will  it  act  quickly?  I  want  to  sleep  two 
or  three  hours,  and  then  get  up  and  attend  to  some  busi- 
ness. Can  you  guarantee  that  I  shall  regain  my  usual 
command  of  my  faculties  in  the  course  of  the  night?" 

"Your  lordship  is  driving  me  to  despair!  Do  you 
propose  to  go  to  work  again  to-night  after  yesterday's  at- 
tack, and  to-day's?  You  cannot  go  on  in  that  way." 

"But  have  I  not  an  uncommon  constitution?  And 
have  you  not  told  me  a  hundred  times  that  you  would  cure 
me  ?  Have  you  been  deceiving  me  ?  Are  you  making 
sport  of  me?  " 

"Ah!"  replied  the  physician,  with  a  distressed  ex- 
pression, "you  surely  could  not  believe  such  a  thing!  " 

"  Well,  well,  give  me  the  draught.   Will  it  act  at  once  ?  " 

"In  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  provided  you  do  not  destroy 
its  effect  by  your  agitation." 

"  Give  me  my  watch.  There,  put  it  by  my  side.  I 
want  to  see  if  you  are  sure  of  the  effects  of  your  own 
drugs." 


330 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


The  baron  drank  off  the  potion,  seated  himself  in  his 
great  arm-chair,  and  rang  for  his  valet-de-chambre. 

"  Go  and  find  Major  Larrson,"  he  said,  "  and  say  to 
him  from  me  that  I  beg  him  to  superintend  the  race.  He 
understands  about  such  matters  better  than  any  one  else." 

The  valet  went  out,  but  the  baron  recalled  him  al- 
most instantly. 

"Tell-Johan  to  go  to  bed  and  to  sleep.  I  shall  want 
him  at  three  o'clock  in  the  morning.  Let  him  come  him- 
self, and  wake  me  up.  Go  now  —  no,  wait,  I  am  to  hunt 
to-morrow.  Is  everything  ready?  Yes?  Very  good. 
Now  you  may  go." 

The  valet  really  went  this  time  ;  and  the  young  phy- 
sician, who  was  very  much  agitated,  remained  alone  with 
his  patient. 

"  Your  draught  has  no  effect  at  all,"  said  the  latter, 
impatiently.  "  I  ought  to  have  been  asleep  by  this 
time." 

"  If  your  lordship  will  persist  in  tormenting  yourself 
about  a  thousand  and  one  details  —  " 

"  The  devil !  my  dear  sir,  if  I  were  not  obliged  to  tor- 
ment myself.  I  should  not  need  a  physician.  Come, 
take  a  seat.  Let  us  have  a  little  quiet  conversation." 

"  If,  instead  of  talking,  your  lordship  would  reflect 
quietly." 

"Reflect!  I  reflect  a  great  deal  too  much  as  it  is. 
It  is  that  that  makes  me  so  feverish.  Norno,  let  us  talk, 
as  we  did  last  night.  I  fell  asleep,  you  know,  talking. 
You  are  aware,  doctor,  that  I  have  resolved  definitely  to 
marry  ?  " 

"  That  pretty  Countess  Margaret?" 

"  Not  at  all ;  she's  a  little  fool.  I  am  going  to  marry 
the  stately  Olga.  I  mean  to  have  some  Russian  children." 

"They  will  be  handsome,  that  is  certain." 

"Yes,  if  my  wife  has  good  taste ;  for  I  don't  believe 
one  word  of  your  flatteries,  doctor.  My  wife  will  not  be 
faithful  to  me.  What  difference  does  it  make,  provided 
that  I  have  an  heir ;  provided  all  my  hopeful  relations, 
cousins  and  second  cousins,  are  bafiied  and  infuriated. 
Doctor,  I  insist  upon  living  long  enough  to  see  that ;  do 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


33 * 


you  understand?  Now  see  to  it; — remember  I  don't 
bequeath  you  a  single  ducat.  I  shall  pay  you  exor- 
bitantly as  long  as  I  live,  so  as  to  make  it  your  interest  to 
do  well  by  me  ;  but  that  is  all.  As  for  my  wife,  I  shall 
treat  her  in  the  same  way.  During  my  life,  she  shall 
have  all  the  luxury,  all  the  jewels  she  wants,  and  more 
and  more  every  year.  After  my  death,  unless  she  has 
saved  something,  she  will  have  nothing  at  all ;  I  won't 
leave  her  even  the  guardianship  of  her  own  child.  Far 
from  it ;  I  don't  want  to  be  poisoned." 

"  You  are  feeding  your  mind  on  gloomy  ideas,  your 
lordship  ;  that's  a  bad  diet." 

44  What  nonsense  that  is,  doctor !  It  is  as  if  you 
should  tell  me  that  I  did  wrong  to  have  too  much  bile  in 
my  liver.  Is  it  my  fault?" 

"  But  can't  you  force  yourself  to  dwell  on  cheerful 
ideas  ?  There's  that  comedy  of  marionettes,  for  instance. 
It  was  very  amusing." 

"Think  about  a  set  of  puppets?  Do  you  want  to 
turn  me  into  an  idiot?" 

"  For  the  time  being,  certainly,  if  I  could  quiet  down 
the  fire  of  your  thoughts — " 

'•No  compliments  about  my  intellect,  I  beg  you.  I 
am  conscious  that  it  is  failing,  decidedly." 

"Your  lordship  is  the  only  one  who  perceives  it." 

The  baron  shrugged  his  shoulders,  yawned,  and  was 
silent  for  a  few  minutes.  His  eyes  seemed  to  grow  larger, 
the  pupils  dilated,  and  his  lower  lip  drooped  a  little. 
Sleep  was  approaching. 

Suddenly  he  started  up,  and  pointed  to  the  wall. 

44  There  it  is  again,"  he  cried,  44just  as  it  was  yester- 
day !  It  was  a  man  at  first,  and  then  the  face  changed  — 
There,  she  is  looking  out  of  the  window  —  she  bends 
over  —  run,  run,  doctor  !  They  have  deceived  me!  be- 
trayed me  !  I  have  been  fooled  like  a  child  —  A  child  ? 
No,  there  was  no  child  !  —  " 

By  this  time  he  was  wide  awake,  and  sitting  down 
again,  he  added,  with  a  gloomy  smile  : 

44 It  was  in  Christian  Waldo's  comedy;  —  a  juggler's 


332 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


trick  !  You  see,  doctor,  I  am  thinking  about  the  puppets, 
as  you  wished.  I  feel  heavy — do  not  leave  me." 

And  even  as  he  spoke,  the  baron  fell  asleep,  with  his 
eyes  open  like  a  corpse. 

In  a  few  moments,  his  eyelids  relaxed  and  then  closed. 
The  doctor  felt  his  pulse.  It  was  too  full  and  heavy. 
In  his  opinion  the  patient  ought  to  be  bled,  but  how 
could  he  induce  him  to  allow  it? 

"  A  thankless,  odious,  impossible  task  to  be  keeping 
this  man  alive,  in  spite  of  heaven  and  himself!"  Thus 
reflected  the  poor  doctor.  "Either  he  has  constant  at- 
tacks of  insanity,  or  else  he  is  tormented  by  remorse.  I 
feel  as  if  I  should  go  crazy  myself  from  being  with  him ; 
the  terrors  of  his  imagination  seize  upon  me,  too,  as  if 
I  were  becoming  the  accomplice  of  some  crime,  by  try- 
ing to  save  his  life  !  " 

But  the  young  man  had  a  mother,  and  a  betrothed 
sweetheart ;  and  as  a  few  years  of  lucrative  employment 
would  enable  him  to  marry  the  one,  and  save  the  other 
from  poverty,  he  had  consented  to  be  nailed  to  this 
corpse,  incessantly  galvanized  into  a  seeming  life  by  the 
resources  of  his  art.  Sometimes  he  was  full  of  devotion 
to  his  task,  and  again  felt  so  broken  down  with  fatigue 
and  disgust,  that  he  scarcely  knew  whether  he  would  pre- 
fer to  have  his  patient  die  or  recover.  The  young  man 
was  of  a  kindly  disposition  and  an  excellent  heart.  This 
constant  intercourse  with  an  atheist  was  freezing  him  ; 
and  he  had  not  even  the  privilege  of  defending  his  opinions, 
for  contradiction  irritated  the  patient.  He  was  sociable 
and  cheerful,  while  the  sick  man,  under  his  outward 
habit  of  sour  and  cynical  raillery,  was  gloomy  and  mis- 
anthropic. 

While  the  baron  lay  there  asleep,  moreover,  the  pleas- 
ures of  the  night  were  under  full  headway.  The  sounds 
of  fireworks  and  music,  the  barking  of  the  dogs  roused 
out  of  their  kennels  by  the  stamping  of  the  horses  that 
were  being  harnessed,  the  laughter  of  the  ladies  in  the 
corridors  of  the  chateau,  the  gleaming  lights  that  could 
be  seen  moving  upon  the  lake,  everything  that  was  going 
on  outside  of  the  silent  and  gloomy  chamber  where  the 


THE   SNO  W  MAN. 


333 


sick  man,  immovable  and  livid,  lay  in  heavy  slumber,  in- 
tensified the  young  man's  sense  of  isolation  and  servitude. 

The  Countess  d'Elveda,  in  the  meanwhile,  was  ab- 
sorbed in  conspiring  with  the  Russian  ambassador  against 
the  nationality  of  Sweden ;  while  the  cousins  and  second 
cousins  of  the  baron  were  keeping  watch  upon  the  door 
of  his  apartments. 

"  He  will  go,"  they  whispered  to  each  other  ;  "no,  he 
will  not  be  able.  He  is  more  ill  than  he  will  confess. 
He  is  better  than  people  think." 

How  were  they  to  ascertain?  The  servants,  perfectly 
devoted  to  the  absolute  will  of  this  master,  who  paid  well, 
and  punished  well  too  —  for  in  Sweden,  servants  at  this 
period  were  still  liable  to  corporal  punishment  —  invari- 
ably replied,  when  questioned,  that  the  baron  had  never 
been  better.  And  as  for  the  doctor,  the  baron,  on  en- 
gaging him,  had  required  him  to  give  his  word  of  honor 
that  he  would  never  reveal  the  serious  nature  of  his  malady. 

As  the  reader  has  already  been  told,  the  baron,  to  ac- 
count for  his  frequent  disappearances  from  his  entertain- 
ments, had  caused  it  to  be  generally  understood  that  he 
was  always  liable  to  be  called  away  by  some  one  or  other 
of  his  numerous  and  important  engagements.  This  was, 
moreover,  to  a  certain  extent  true  ;  he  was  accustomed 
to  supervise  the  details  of  the  political  intrigues  in  which 
he  was  concerned ;  and  his  private  affairs  were  embar- 
rassed with  the  lawsuits  to  Avhich  his  restless  disposition 
and  despotic  claims  were  constantly  giving  rise.  Now, 
however,  superadded  to  all  these  causes  of  excitement, 
was  a  strange  trouble,  indistinct  as  yet,  but  which  pro- 
duced more  effect  upon  his  bodily  health  than  all  his 
ordinary  annoyances  together.  Forgotten  suspicions,  ap- 
prehensions long  ago  quieted,  had  been  reawakened  in 
his  mind  since  the  ball  of  the  evening  before,  and  still 
more  since  the  exhibition  of  marionettes.  The  result 
had  been  one  of  the  nervous  attacks  to  which  he  was 
liable,  whose  effect  was  to  distort  his  mouth,  and  give  a 
distinct  cast  to  one  of  his  eyes.  As  he  was  very  vain  of 
his  beauty  —  his  face,  although  wasted,  was  still  noble 
and  regular — especially  at  the  present  time,  when  he 


334 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


was  proposing  to  be  married,  he  had  shut  himself  up  as 
much  as  possible  since  this  disfiguration  came  on,  and 
was  receiving  medical  treatment,  to  carry  him  through 
the  attack  as  rapidly  as  possible. 

As  soon  as  he  awoke  from  his  slumber,  his  first  care 
was  to  look  in  a  glass  which  was  placed  near  him. 
Pleased  to  find  that  he  had  recovered  his  natural  expres- 
sion, he  said  to  the  physician  : 

"  Come,  there's  another  one  over  !  I  feel  as  if  I  had 
slept  well.  Did  I  dream,  doctor?" 

"No,"  replied  the  young  man,  but  with  some  embar- 
rassment at  the  falsehood  he  was  telling. 

"You  don't  say  that  very  frankly,"  answered  the 
baron.  "Now,  if  I  talked  in  my  sleep,  you  must  tell  me 
exactly  what  I  said.  You  know  I  insist  upon  it." 

"You  only  uttered  disconnected  words,  without  mean- 
ing. They  did  not  indicate  any  distinct  thoughts." 

"Then  your  prescriptions  must  really  be  having  a 
good  effect.  The  physician  whom  I  employed  formerly, 
used  to  tell  me  my  dreams.  They  were  strange  enough 
—  frightful !  I  seem  to  have  none  now  but  insignificant 
ones." 

"Are  you  not  aware  of  it  yourself,  your  lordship? 
Don't  you  feel  less  fatigued  on  waking  than  formerly  ?  " 

"No,  I  can't  say  that  I  do." 

"  That  will  come  in  time." 

"I  hope  so!  Now,  doctor,  you  may  leave  me,  if 
you  please ;  you  can  go  to  bed.  If  I  need  you,  I  will 
send  and  have  you  waked  up.  I  feel  as  if  I  could  sleep 
a  while  longer.  Send  me  my  valet-de-chambre  ;  I  will 
try  and  get  into  bed." 

"  My  predecessor,"  said  the  young  doctor  to  himself, 
as  he  Avent  out,  "  heard  too  much,  and  repeated  too  freely 
what  he  heard.  The  baron,  in  consequence,  was 
offended ;  they  quarrelled,  and  the  doctor  was  perse- 
cuted, until  he  had  to  leave  the  country.  A  good  lesson 
to  me !  " 

Christian,  meanwhile,  had  rejoined  M.  Goefle,  at 
Stollborg.  The  doctor  of  laws  was  in  great  triumph. 
He  had  forced  the  lock  of  one  of  the  great  wardrobes  in 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


335 


the  guard-room,  and  had  found  some  feminine  garments, 
which  were  quite  magnificent. 

"These  things,"  he  said  to  Christian,  "must  cer- 
tainly be  a  remnant  of  the  wardrobe  of  the  Baroness 
Hilda  ;  either  forgotten,  or  religiously  preserved  by  Sten- 
son.  They  will  do  nicely  for  costumes,  they  are  so 
thoroughly  old-fashioned.  They  belong  twenty  years 
back,  at  least.  See  if  you  can't  get  into  one  of  them. 
The  baroness  was  tall,  and  it's  no  harm  if  your  dress 
should  be  a  little  short.  I  mean  to  contrive  a  sultan's 
dress  for  myself,  with  my  pelisse  and  a  turban  of  some 
kind.  You  can  help  me  get  one  up,  Christian  ;  you  are 
an  artist.  Every  artist  must  know  how  to  make  a 
turban." 

Christian  was  not  at  all  intoxicated,  and  the  burgla- 
rious performance  of  M.  Goefle  rather  disturbed  him. 

"People  are  always  accusing  persons  in  my  line  of 
such  things,"  he  said,  "and  generally  with  some  rea- 
son. You  will  see  that  this  will  make  me  trouble." 

"Bah!  bah!  I  am  here,"  cried  M.  Goefle;  "I  will 
take  all  the  responsibility.  Come,  Christian,  put  on  this 
dress  !  Try  it,  at  any  rate  ! " 

"My  dear  M.  Goefle,"  said  Christian,  "just  let  me 
swallow  something  or  other,  no  matter  what ;  I  am  dying 
of  hunger." 

"  Sure  enough  !     But  be  quick." 

"Besides,"  said  Christian,  who,  standing  as  he  was,  be- 
gan at  the  same  time  to  eat  his  supper  and  to  examine  the 
clothes  that  were  displayed  before  him,  "  I  don't  know 
how  it  is,  but  I  feel  a  sort  of  reluctance  to  touch  those 
old  relics.  The  fate  of  that  poor  Baroness  Hilda  was 
such  a  sad  one  !  Do  you  know  that  I  have  been  growing 
more  and  more  suspicious  about  the  manner  of  her 
death?" 

"Go  to  the  devil!"  answered  M.  Goefle.  "I  am  not 
in  the  mood  for  figuring  over  all  those  old  stories  now.  I 
want  to  laugh  and  fly  about.  Come,  come,  Christian, 
to  work !  let  those  melancholy  notions  go  over  until 
to-morrow.  See  —  put  on  this  polonaise  dress;  it's 


336  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

splendid.  If  you  can  only  get  your  shoulders  through 
it,  the  rest  will  come  right  of  itself." 

"I  don't  believe  I  can,"  said  Christian,  as  he  put  his 
hand  into  one  of  the  pockets.  "But  what  a  little  hand 
she  must  have  had,  to  go  into  such  a  small  place  as  that." 

"  And  you  as  well,  it  seems  !" 

"Yes,  but  I  can't  draw  mine  out  again.  Stay,  what's 
this  !  Why,  a  note  ! " 

"Let's  see,  let's  see  !"  cried  the  doctor  of  laws  ;  "that 
must  be  very  curious  !  " 

"No,"  said  Christian,  "we  ought  not  to  read  it." 

"Why  not?" 

"I  don't  know  —  it  seems  like  a  profanation." 

"In  that  case,  I  have  been  guilty  of  a  great  many  — 
it's  part  of  my  trade  to  rummage  secret  family  archives." 

And  M.  Goefle  seized  the  old  yellow  paper,  and  read 
as  follows : 

"MY   DEARLY   BELOVED    HlLDA  : 

"I  have  just  reached  Stockholm,  and  find  the 
Count  de  Rosenstein  here.  I  shall  not  be  obliged,  there- 
fore, to  go  on  to  Colmar,  and  shall  set  out  on  my  return 
on  the  10th  instant,  to  embrace  you  again,  and  comfort 
you,  and  take  care  of  you,  and  to  indulge  with  you  in 
new  dreams  of  happiness,  since  God  has  once  more 
blessed  our  union. ^  I  send  you  this  by  express,  to  put 
you  at  ease  about  my  journey,  which  was  not  all  un- 
pleasant, though  so  fatiguing  that  I  congratulated  my- 
self more  than  once  upon  my  prudence  in  not  bringing 
you  with  me,  in  the  situation  in  which  you  are.  As  far 
as  to  Falun,  I  had  to-  ride  on  horseback  the  whole  way. 
Farewell,  then,  my  love,  until  the  15th  or  16th,  at  latest. 
We  shall  have  no  lawsuit  with  Rosenstein  ;  it  will  be  all 
arranged. 

"I  love  you. 

"A.DELSTAN  DE  WALDEMOEA." 

"  M.  Goefle,"  said  Christian  to  the  lawyer,  who  was 
silently  refolding  the  dress,  "does  it  not  seem  to  you 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


337 


horribly  sud  to  find  this  letter  of  love  and  conjugal  hap- 
piness among  the  clothes  of  this  dead  lady?" 

"It  is  melancholy  !  "  replied  M.  Goefle,  taking  off  his 
spectacles  and  his  extempore  turban.  "  And  so  very 
strange  !  Do  you  know  that  this  letter  has  set  me  to 
thinking  ?  But  the  poor  baroness  was  mistaken ;  she 
was  not  pregnant,  for  she  made  a  voluntary  declaration 
to  that  effect ;  Stenson  told  me  so  to-day.  He  was 
present  when  she  signed  it.  But  let's  see  the  date  of 
that  letter." 

M.  Goefle  replaced  his  spectacles,  and  read:  "Stock- 
holm, oth  March,  1746." 

"Yes,"  he  continued,  "  that  agrees,  if  I  remember 
right.  Pshaw !  That  story  is  too  sad  for  a  man  who 
wants  to  amuse  himself.  But  I  will  keep  the  note,  how- 
ever ;  it  might  suggest  something.  I  will  examine  my 
father's  papers  again.  But  come,  Christian,  have  you 
given  up  the  idea  of  disguising  yourself?" 

"With  those  old  clothes  that  smell  of  the  grave?  Yes 
indeed !  they  have  cliilled  me  to  the  marrow  of  my 
bones.  She  was  virtuous,  cultivated  and  beautiful,  you 
told  me  this  morning ;  the  pearl  of  Dalecarlia !  And 
she  died  quite  young,  did  she  not?" 

"At  twenty-five  or  twenty-six  ;  about  ten  months  after 
the  date  of  this  note:  it  was  in  March,  1746,  that 
Baron  Adelstan  was  assassinated.  These  are  probably 
the  last  words  he  ever  wrote  to  his  wife,  and  probably 
that  is  the  reason  she  carried  the  letter  in  her  pocket 
until  her  death." 

"How  unfortunate  she  was!"  said  Christian.  "A 
young  wife,  a  young  mother,  suddenly  left  a  widow  and 
childless  ;  and  then  to  die  a  victim  to  the  baron's  ha- 
tred—" 

"Oh,  there  is  no  proof  whatever  of  that!  But  hark 
to  the  firing !  The  race  is  beginning,  and  here  we  are 
talking  over  matters  that  have  no  interest  for  anybody, 
and  which,  after  all,  are  none  of  our  business.  If  you 
feel  melancholy  this  evening,  my  boy,  stay  at  home  ; 
for  my  part,  I  want  to  run  about.  I  must  get  out  into 
the  air.  I  have  done  too  much  dreaming  to-day." 


333 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


Christian  would  really  have  preferred  to  remain  at 
home,  but  M.  Goefle  was  so  excited  that  he  was  rather 
afraid  to  let  him  go  alone  ;  so  he  said : 

"  Come,  let  us  give  up  the  disguises.  It  will  not  do 
for  us  to  be  seen  together  with  our  faces  uncovered,  so 
let  us  both  go  masked.  You  shall  be  Christian  Waldo, 
as  you  are  the  best  dressed ;  and  as  I  have  been  taken 
for  my  assistant  once  already  to-night,  I  will  be  Puffo." 

"Very  well  imagined!"  cried  M.  Goefle.  "Come 
along !  By  the  way,  we  will  leave  the  light  burning  for 
Master  Nils  ;  he  may  wake  up,  and  then  he  will  be 
frightened,  and  perhaps  hungry.  I  will  leave  a  leg  of 
chicken  here  under  his  nose." 

"  Little  Nils  !     Is  he  here  again?  " 

"  Why  yes,  certainly  !  The  first  thing  I  did,  on  return- 
ing, was  to  go  and  hunt  him  up  in  the  stable,  bring  him 
in  here,  undress  him,  and  put  him  to  bed.  The  young 
monkey  would  have  frozen  before  morning,  out  in  that 
straw." 

"  Had  he  come  to  his  senses  at  all?" 

"Oh,  perfectly ;  at  least  enough  to  complain  that  I 
troubled  him  dreadfully,  and  to  grumble  while  I  was  put- 
ting him  to  bed." 

"  And  where  can  Puffo  be?  I  did  not  see  him  in  the 
stable  when  I  put  Jean  in  there  again." 

"  I  did  not  see  him,  either ;  he  must  have  gone  to  get 
drunk  again  with  Ulphilas.  Well,  much  good  may  it  do 
them  !  It  is  almost  midnight ;  let  us  go.  You  will  help 
me  harness  my  horse.  Ah !  you  may  be  sure  that  my 
good  Loki  will  not  come  in  last." 

"  But  will  they  not  recognize  you  from  your  horse  and 
sleigh  ?  " 

"  No,  there's  nothing  particular  about  the  sleigh.  It  is 
true  that  I  bought  the  horse  in  this  neighborhood  only  last 
year  ;  but  we  will  cover  him  up  with  his  travelling-cloth." 
•  The  goal  selected  for  the  race  proposed  by  the  baron, 
and  intrusted  to  the  superintendence  of  Major  Larrson, 
was  the  hogar  which  stood  at  the  further  end  of  the  lake, 
about  half  a  league  from  Stollborg  and  the  new  chateau. 
These  two  buildings,  as  we  have  said,  were  quite  near 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


339 


each  other,  the  oue  being  built  on  an  island  not  far  from 
the  shore,  and  the  other  on  the  shore  itself.  A  hogar  is 
a  tumulus,  or  mound,  such  as  are  supposed  to  have  been 
used  as  burial-places  by  the  ancient  Scandinavian  chiefs. 
They  are  usually  round,  and  very  steep.  The  top  is  flat, 
aud  formerly,  it  is  said,  platforms  were  erected  upon 
them,  where  the  barbarian  kings  pronounced  judgment, 
using  them  as  courts  of  justice.  They  are  met  with 
in  all  parts  of  Sweden,  and,  indeed,  are  exceedingly 
numerous. 

The  one  at  which  the  race  was  to  terminate  presented 
a  fantastic  appearance ;  it  had  been  crowned  with  a 
triple  row  of  torches  of  resin,  and  through  their  dark 
red  flames,  and  clouds  of  smoke,  a  gigantic  white  figure 
was  visible,  towering  on  high.  This  was  a  statue  of 
snow,  formless  and  colossal,  which  the  peasants  had  built 
up  during  the  day,  by  order  of  the  baron.  Knowing  per- 
fectly well  the  surname  that  had  been  conferred  upon  him, 
he  had  banteringly  promised  the  ladies  to  show  them,  by 
Avay  of  a  surprise,  a  portrait  of  himself,  upon  the  top  of 
the  mound.  The  rudeness  of  the  work  harmonized  with 
the  savage  features  of  the  landscape,  and  recalled  the  idols 
of  former  ages,  with  their  large  heads  and  short  rough  gar- 
ments, which,  according  to  tradition,  represented  Thor, 
the  Scandinavian  Jupiter,  holding  the  terrible  hammer 
above  his  crowned  head. 

This  white  colossus,  seeming  to  float  up  in  the  air,  had 
a  very  impressive  effect,  and  no  one  regretted  having  ven- 
tured out  into  the  cold  night  air  to  enjoy  so  strange  a 
spectacle.  There  was  an  aurora  borealis,  pale,  and  con- 
tending with  the  light  of  the  moon  ;  but  the  alternations 
of  color,  and  the  waves  of  rising  and  falling  light,  which 
characterize  this  phenomenon,  gave  the  landscape  a 
shifting  uncertainty  of  outline,  and  cast  over  it  a  chang- 
ing play  of  lights  and  shadows  which  it  is  impossible  to 
describe.  Christian  fancied  that  he  was  dreaming  ;  and 
he  repeated  over  and  over  again  to  M.  Goefle  that  this 
strange  scenery,  notwithstanding  the  inclemency  of  the 
climate,  appealed  to  his  imagination  more  powerfully  than 
anything  he  had  seen  in  all  his  travels. 


THE   SNO  W  MAN, 

The  exercises  of  the  race  had  already  begun  when  our 
two  friends  joined  the  party,  and  they  drove  along  the 
flank  of  the  other  vehicles,  so  as  not  to  interfere  with  their 
prearranged  order.  The  ice  had  been  carefully  exam- 
ined, and  the  road,  marked  out  by  colossal  torches, 
wound  past  the  points  of  rock  and  islets  covered  with 
pines  and  birch-trees,  which  dotted  the  surface  of  the 
lake.  A  phalanx  of  richly-ornamented  sleighs,  four 
abreast,  flew  along  the  course  like  arrows  ;  the  skill  of  the 
drivers,  and  the  perfect  training  of  the  horses,  maintain- 
ing them  at  exactly  the  same  distance  from  each  other. 

Towards  the  shore  where  the  hogar  stood  the  lake  was 
deeper  than  elsewhere,  and  presented  a  broad  expanse, 
perfectly  level  and  unobstructed.  On  reaching  this,  all 
the  sleighs  came  to  a  halt  in  a  semicircle,  and  the  young 
people  who  were  to  compete  for  the  prize  took  their  places 
in  a  line,  ready  for  the  signal.  The  ladies,  and  older  gen- 
tlemen, left  their  vehicles,  and  ascended  a  little  island,  pre- 
pared for  the  purpose  by  being  thickly  laid  with  pine  boughs,' 
where  they  would  be  able  to  behold  and  judge  the  prowess 
of  the  competing  parties  without  danger  of  freezing  their 
feet.  A  great  fire,  built  upon  the  rocks  behind  the  nat- 
ural gallery  where  the  audience  was  thus  assembled,  cast 
a  powerful  red  glow  over  the  whole  scene. 

The  picture  presented  by  the  assembled  company  was 
not  less  strange  than  the  landscape  which  served  as  its 
frame.  Everybody  wore  masks,  and  found  them  a  com- 
fortable defence  against  the  coldness  of  the  air.  For  a 
similar  reason,  all  the  costumes  were  heavy,  and  well 
furred  ;  but  this  did  not  prevent  a  great  display  of  gold, 
embroidery,  and  glittering  weapons.  The  racers  were 
plainly  visible  in  their  light,  uncovered  sleighs,  which  repre- 
sented fantastic  images  of  different  animals  :  gigantic  silver 
swans  with  red  beaks,  dolphins  of  green  and  gold,  fishes 
with  tails  curved  over  their  backs,  and  so  on.  Major  Larr- 
son  was  mounted  on  a  frightful  dragon,  and  was  himself 
disguised  as  a  monster,  crowned  with  glittering  thunder- 
bolts. The  judges  who  were  to  award  the  prize  could  be 
seen  moving  to  and  fro  on  the  top  of  the  hogar,  costumed 
as  antique  warriors  with  winged  helmets,  or  with  hoods 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


341 


having  a  horn  over  each  ear,  as  Odin  is  represented  in  his 
costume  of  ceremony ;  that  is  to  say,  in  all  the  splendor 
of  his  divinity. 

Christian  tried  to  recognize  Margaret  among  the  ladies, 
who  were  disguised  as  sibyls,  or  barbarian  queens.  He 
could  not  succeed ;  and  from  that  moment  the  whole 
ceremonial,  without  losing  its  brilliancy,  lost  all  interest 
for  him,  except  as  a  mere  spectacle.  M.  Goefle,  how- 
ever, who  did  not  feel  the  same  disappointment,  continued 
very  much  excited. 

•'  Christian,"  he  cried,  "  in  spite  of  our  costumes,  which 
are  no  costumes,  and  our  sleigh,  which  is  only  a  sleigh, 
why  should  we  not  take  a  place  in  the  line  ?  Because  my 
brave  Loki  has  no  plumes,  nor  stuffed  birds,  nor  horns  on 
his  head,  will  that  make  his  legs  any  the  worse  ?  " 

"  That  is  for  you  to  say,  doctor,"  replied  Christian  ; 
"  you  know  him  ;  you  can  tell  whether  he  will  cover  us 
with  glory  or  with  shame." 

"  It  will  be  with  glory  ;  I  know  it." 

"  Go  on,  then." 

"  But  the  poor  fellow  will  be  tired.  He  will  get 
heated,  and  God  only  knows  whether  he  will  not  have 
inflammation  of  the  lungs  !  " 

"  Don't  go,  then." 

"  The  devil  take*tyour  indifference,  Christian  !  For  my 
part,  my  hands  are  burning  to  try  it." 

"  Try  it,  then  !  " 

u  But  for  a  sensible  man  like  me  to  run  his  horse's  legs 
off,  just  to  beat  a  parcel  of  boys  !  It's  absurd,  Christian, 
isn't  it?" 

"  It  is,  if  you  think  so  ;  it  all  depends  upon  the  degree 
of  intoxication  with  which  we  go  into  such  amusements." 

"  We'll  go  !  "  exclaimed  M.  Goefle  ;  "  to  resist  the  sug- 
gestions of  intoxication  is  to  be  reasonable  ;  that  is,  to  be 
stupid.  Get  up,  Loki !  " 

"Wait!"  cried  Christian,  jumping  out  of  the  sleigh. 
"  Let  me  take  off  his  head-cover.  How  can  he  run  with 
his  nose  muffled  up  like  that  ?  " 

"Very  true,  Christian;  thank  you,  my  boy,  but  be 
quick  !  they  are  all  ready." 


342 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


Scarcely  had  the  doctor  of  laws  spoken  before  a  fire- 
work, placed  upon  another  islet  at  the  rear  of  the  course, 
went  off  with  a  formidable  noise.  It  was  the  signal  for 
starting. 

"  Go  on  !  go  on  !  "  cried  Christian  to  M.  Goefle,  who 
would  have  held  in  Loki  until  the  young  man  had  resumed 
his  seat ;  "  you  are  losing  time  !  " 

He  encouraged  the  horse,  who  set  oif  at  the  top  of  his 
speed,  while  Christian  remained  with  the  head-cover  in 
his  hand,  watching  the  career  of  the  advocate  and  his 
faithful  Loki.  He  did  not  look  after  them  very  long, 
however.  As  he  moved  a  little  to  one  side  to  get  out  of 
the  way  of  the  remaining  horses,  who,  excited  by  the  fire- 
works and  the  example  of  their  companions  who  had  joined 
in  the  race,  were  stepping  about  in  a  very  lively  way,  he 
found  himself  close  to  a  blue  and  silver  sleigh,  which  he  rec- 
ognized as  Margaret's.  This  light  vehicle  was  modelled 
in  the  spreading  shape  of  a  carriage-body  of  the  time  of 
Louis  XV.,  and  was  mounted,  or  rather  set  down  upon 
runners,  so  that  it  was  easy  to  look,  without  any  effort 
whatever,  directly  through  the  glasses,  which  were  now 
slightly  incrusted  by  frost.  Supposing,  of  course,  that 
Margaret  was  upon  the  rocky  audience  gallery  with  her 
companions,  Christian  did  not  expect  to  find  her  within. 
Still  he  looked,  all  the  same,  and,  to  his  surprise,  beheld 
her  in  her  usual  costume,  and  without  a  mask.  A  little 
indisposed,  or  pretending  to  be  so,  she  had  remained  alone, 
and  was  watching  the  race  through  the  door  of  the  sleigh. 
The  driver  had  taken  a  place  a  little  aside  from  the  rest, 
and  had  ttu'ned  the  sleigh  in  such  a  way  as  to  give  Mar- 
garet a  good  view  of  the  course ;  and  this  also  enabled 
Christian  to  gaze  at  Margaret  and  to  be  quite  near  her, 
without  being  seen  by  the  rest  of  the  company,  who  were, 
besides,  absorbed  in  gazing  at  the  race. 

He  would  not  have  ventured  to  speak  to  her,  and  he 
took  pains  to  assume  a  careless  attitude,  as  if  his  being 
there  was  quite  accidental,  when  she  suddenly  lowered  the 
glass  to  speak  to  him.  He  was  still  holding  the  head-gear 
of  the  horse,  and  she  took  him  for  a  servant. 

"  Tell  me,  my  friend,"  she  said,  in  a  low  voice,  though 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


343 


without  any  affectation,  "  who  is  that  man  in  a  black 
mask  like  yours,  who  just  passed,  and  who  is  racing  now? 
It  is  your  master,  is  it  not,  Christian  Waldo  ?  " 

"No,  mademoiselle,"  replied  Christian,  in  French,  and 
without  changing  his  voice  or  accent,  "I  am  Christian 
Waldo  I " 

"  Ah,  mon  Dieu  !  how  fortunate  !  "  replied  the  young 
girl,  with  an  intonation  of  joy  that  she  could  not  repress ; 
and  lowering  her  voice  still  more,  for  Christian  had  come 
close  up  to  the  door,  "is  it  you,  M.  Christian  Goefle? 
What  suggested  to  you  to  assume  that  character  this 
evening  ?  " 

"  Perhaps  it  was  in  order  to  remain  here  without  com- 
promising my  uncle,"  he  replied. 

•'  Then  you  did  care  a  little  about  staying? "  she 
rejoined,  in  a  tone  that  made  Christian's  heart  beat. 

He  had  not  the  courage  to  reply  that  he  did  not  care  ; 
it  was  more  than  he  could  do  ;  but  he  felt  that  it  was  time 
to  put  an  end  to  a  comedy  so  dangerous,  if  not  to  the 
young  countess,  at  least  to  himself,  and,  with  an  effort 
of  truthful  self-sacrifice  that  made  him  dizzy,  he  said 
promptly : 

"  I  wanted  to  stay  so  as  to  undeceive  you.  I  am  not 
the  person  you  supposed.  I  am  what  I  tell  you,  Christian 
Waldo." 

"  1  do  not  understand,"  she  said  ;  "is  it  not  enough  to 
have  mystified  me  once?  Why  do  you  wish  to  play 
another  part?  Do  you  suppose  I  did  not  recognize  your 
voice  when  you  were  performing  with  Christian  Waldo's 
marionettes  with  so  much  spirit?  I  saw  very  plainly  that 
you  were  more  brilliant  than  he  —  " 

"But  what  makes  you  believe  that?"  said  Christian, 
astonished  ;  "  to  whom  do  you  suppose  you  were  listening 
this  evening?" 

"  To  you  and  to  him.  There  were  two  voices,  I  am 
sure,  pei'haps  three  —  yours,  Waldo's,  and  that  of  his  as- 
sistant." 

"  There  were  only  two,  I  give  you  my  word." 

"Very  well,  what  then  ?  I  tell  you  I  recognized  yours. 
You  cannot  deceive  me  as  to  that." 


344 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


"  Why,  no  ;  ray  voice  is  my  voice  ;  I  do  not  deuy  that ; 
but  I  must  tell  you  —  " 

"  Listen  !  listen  ! "  exclaimed  Margaret ;  "  do  you  hear  ? 
They  are  proclaiming  the  name  of  the  victor.  It  is  Chris- 
tian Waldo,  I  think  —  yes,  yes,  I  am  sure  of  it.  I  hear 
it  distinctly,  and  I  can  plainly  see  the  man  in  the  mask, 
standing  up,  in  his  little  black  sleigh.  That  is  he  !  He 
is  the  real  one.  You  are  only  a  counterfeit  Waldo.  But 
really,  M.  Goefle,  you  ought  to  take  his  place  ;  the  best 
things  in  the  whole  piny,  and  the  best  delivered  —  and, 
above  all,  the  entire  part  of  Alonzo  —  were  yours  !  Come 
now,  let  me  hear  you  venture  to  assert  that  I  am  mis- 
taken !  " 

"  As  to  the  part  of  Alonzo,  I  cannot  deny  that." 

"  Shall  you  play  again  to-morrow,  M.  Goefle  ?  " 

"  Certainly." 

"  That  will  be  very  kind  of  you !  For  my  part,  I 
thank  you  \  but  are  you  quite  sure  that  no  one  will  suspect 
who  you  are  ?  You  must  keep  yourself  well  hidden  at 
Stollborg.  I  am  glad  to  see  that  you  are  so  prudent,  and 
know  so  well  how  to  disguise  yourself.  No  one  could 
recognize  you,  dressed  as  you  are  now.  But  you  must 
go  away,  please  !  They  are  all  getting  into  their  sleighs 
to  drive  to  the  hogar  and  compliment  the  victor.  My 
aunt  will  certainly  join  me.  No,  she  is  going  "in  the  Rus- 
sian ambassador's  sleigh.  She  leaves  me  alone !  A 
mother  would  not  have  t  done  that,  M.  Christian.  An 
aunt,  and  so  young  and  handsome  —  well,  certainly,  she 
is  not  much  like  a  mother  !  Stay  ;  she  will  surely  send 
M.  Stangstadius  to  keep  me  company  ! " 

"  M.  Stangstadius  !  "  exclaimed  Christian,  "  where  is 
he  ?  I  do  not  see  him  —  " 

"  He  was  simple  enough  to  put  on  a  mask,  but  nobody 
can  mistake  him  ;  if  he  were  anywhere  within  sight,  you 
would  certainly  recognize  him.  No,  he  is  not  coming, 
and  they  are  all  setting  off." 

u  Mademoiselle,"  said  Margaret's  driver,  in  Dalecar- 
lian,  to  his  young  mistress,  "  her  ladyship  your  aunt  is 
making  me  a  sign  to  follow." 

"  Do  so,  then,"  she  said  ;    "  but  you  are  on  foot.  M. 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


345 


Goefle !     Jump  up  on  the  driver's  seat ;  you  cannot  go 
with  us  otherwise." 

"  What  will  your  aunt  say  ?  " 

Christian  asked  the  question,  but  he  jumped  up  on  the 
seat  nevertheless,  though  not  without  regret  that  the  con- 
versation was  ended.  But  Margaret  closed  the  side  win- 
dow and  opened  the  one  in  front,  which  was  almost 
even  with  his  face.  The  sleigh  flew  noiselessly  over 
the  snow,  over  which  Peterson  was  driving  just  outside 
the  beaten  track,  for  he  had  lost  his  place  in  the  regular 
array.  The  good  fellow  did  not  understand  a  single  word 
of  French,  and  the  conversation  continued  : 

"What  is  happening  at  the  chateau?"  asked  Christian, 
hoping  to  divert  Margaret's  attention  from  himself.  "  I 
have  not  seen  the  baron  here  ;  I  should  have  thought  he 
would  have  been  as  easily  recognized  by  his  height,  as 
Stangstadius  by  his  gait." 

"  He  has  shut  himself  up,  under  the  pretence  of  press- 
ing and  unexpected  business.  That  means  that  he  is 
worse  ;  no  one  is  deceived  by  it.  Everybody  saw  his 
mouth  drawn  to  one  side,  and  his  eye  distorted.  Don't 
you  think  he  is  an  extraordinary  man,  after  all,  to  battle 
so  with  death?  He  meant  to  have  raced  to-night,  Avith 
the  young  men,  and  he  would  certainly  have  won  the 
prize,  he  has  such  splendid  horses  !  There  is  to  be  a  bear- 
hunt  to-morrow,  and  either  the  baron  will  be  at  the  hunt 
and  will  kill  his  bear,  or  he  will  be  buried  before  any  one 
has  thought  of  countermanding  the  sport.  One  is  just  as 
possible  as  the  other.  Does  not  that  make  the  situation 
here  very  singular  for  all  of  us  ?  It  seems  as  if  the  Snow 
Man  took  pleasure  in  seeing  how  few  friends  he  has,  since 
we  all  go  on  amusing  ourselves  in  his  house,  as  if  nothing 
were  the  matter." 

"  But,  Margaret,  you  admire  his  resolution,  and  he  suc- 
ceeds in  producing,  even  upon  you,  the  effect  he  desires." 

"My  dear  confidant,"  said  Margaret,  gayly,  "  you  must 
know  that  my  aversion  for  the  baron  has  almost  entirely 
ceased.  He  has  become  quite  indifferent  to  me  ;  he  is 
going  to  marry — but  that  is  a  secret  that  I  discovered 
accidentally,  and  have  promised  to  keep.  He  is  not  going 


346 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


to  marry  me,  at  all  events,  and  I  shall  have  the  happiness 
of  remaining  free  —  and  poor  —  " 

"  Poor  !     I  thought  you  were  at  least  very  well  off." 

"  Well,  it  turns  out  that  I  have  nothing.  I  have  had  a 
quarrel  with  my  aunt  to-day  —  as  usual,  about  the  baron  ; 
and  she  has  declared  that  she  would  give  me  no  portion, 
and  that  she  should  take  possession  of  the  little  inher- 
itance which  my  father  left  me  ;  she  claims  to  have  a 
right  to  it  on  account  of  some  loan  that  she  made  him,  of 
I  don't  know  how  many  ducats.  I  did  not  understand 
anything  about  it,  except  that  I  am  ruined  !  " 

"  Ah,  Margaret !  "  exclaimed  Christian,  involuntarily, 
"  why  am  I  not  rich  and  well  born  ?  Understand  me," 
he  continued,  taking  her  hand,  for  she  started,  and  seemed 
inclined  to  throw  herself  upon  the  further  seat  of  the 
sleigh,  "  this  is  not  a  declaration,  I  am  not  so  audacious 
as  to  address  you  in  any  such  way.  It  would  be  an  act 
of  madness  in  me,  for  I  have  nothing  in  the  world,  and 
neither  family  nor  position.  But  you  have  permitted  me 
to  be  your  friend.  May  I  not  tell  you  that,  if  I  were 
rich  and  noble,  I  would  divide  with  you  as  I  would  with 
my  sister?" 

"  Thank  you,  Christian,"  answered  Margaret,  still 
trembling,  although  reassured ;  "  I  see  how  good  your 
heart  is,  and  I  know  how  kindly  you  feel  towards  me. 
But  why  do  you  say  that  you  have  no  family,  when  your 
uncle's  reputation  is  so  high  —  " 

She  paused,  and  added,  with  a  forced  laugh  : 

"You  must  not  suppose  I  meant  to  say — what  cer- 
tainly I  had  no  thought  of.  But  no,  you  will  not  think 
anything  of  the  kind ;  you  have  too  much  good  sense. 
You  are  straightforward  and  confiding,  like  me  ;  and  you 
will  understand  that,  if  I  question  you,  it  is  because  I  am 
interested  about  your  future  prosperity  —  no  matter  who 
may  share  it  with  you.  Tell  me,  then,  why  do  you  tor- 
ment yourself  about  your  birth,  which  many  people  would 
envy  ? " 

"Ah,  Margaret,"  said  Christian,  "you  wish  to 
know,  and  it  is  my  wish  to  tell  you.  Here  we  are  at 
the  end  of  our  ride,  and  I  shall  leave  you,  this  time, 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


347 


forever.  I  will  not  secure  a  place  in  your  memory  at 
the  price  of  a  lie.  To  be  despised  and  forgotten  is  all 
I  deserve  from  you,  and  I  accept  my  fate  —  so  much  the 
worse  for  me.  Believe  me,  there  is  no  such  person  as 
Christian  Goefle.  M.  Goefle  never  had  either  son  or 
nephew." 

"That  is  not  true!"  exclaimed  Margaret.  "He 
said  so  to-day  at  the  chateau  ;  and  everybody  was  talk- 
ing about  it,  but  nobody  believed  him.  You  are  his 
son  —  by  a  secret  marriage.  He  will  acknowledge  and 
cherish  you.  He  cannot  help  doing  it." 

"I  swear  to  you,  upon  my  honor,  that  I  am  absolutely 
nothing  to  him  ;  and  that  yesterday  morning  he  knew  no 
more  of  me  than  you  know  now  !•" 

"Upon  your  honor!  You  swear  upon  your  honor? 
But  if  you  are  not  Christian  Goefle,  I  do  not  know  you 
at  all !  Nor  is  there  any  reason  why  I  should  believe 
you.  If  you  are  Christian  Waldo,  who,  they  say,  can  as- 
sume any  human  voice — ah,  I  cannot  understand  it !  But 
it  distresses  me  very  much.  Thank  God  !  I  still  doubt  —  " 

"Doubt  no  longer,  Margaret !"  said  Christian,  jump- 
ing down  from  his  seat  as  the  sleigh,  at  that  moment, 
stopped.  "Look  at  me,  and  know  me  for  what  I  really 
am :  a  man  who  has  dedicated  to  you  the  profoundest  re- 
spect, the  most  absolute  devotion  of  his  heart,  and  who 
swears  to  you,  upon  his  honor,  that  he  is  the  real 
Christian  Waldo!" 

As  he  spoke,  Christian  lifted  his  silken  mask  from 
his  forehead,  moved  resolutely  into  the  light  of  the  lan- 
tern, and  showed  his  face  plainly  as  he  bent  towards  the 
door.  Margaret,  recognizing  her  friend  of  the  previous 
evening,  uttered  a  cry  of  grief,  perhaps  even  too  expres- 
sive, and  covered  her  face  with  her  hands,  while  Chris- 
tian, lowering  his  mask  once  more,  disappeared  in  the 
crowd  of  servants  and  peasants  who  were  assembled  to 
look  at  the  sport. 

He  very  soon  approached  M.  Goefle,  whom  they  were 
talking  of  carrying  in  triumph ;  not  because  he  had 
reached  the  goal  first — he  was,  in  fact,  the  last  to  arrive 
—  but  for  performing  a  brilliant  and  unexpected  feat. 


348 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


He  had  caught  with  his  whip,  while  going  at  full  speed, 
the  wig  of  M.  Stangstadius,  who  had  deposited  himself, 
in  spite  of  his  opposition,  upon  Major  Larrson's  sleigh. 
M.  Goefle  had  not,  of  course,  done  this  intentionally. 
The  end  of  his  whip-lash,  as  he  was  cracking  it  in  the 
air,  had  happened  to  entangle  itself  around  the  queue  of 
the  wig,  by  one  of  those  chaaces  which  we  call  improb- 
able, because  they  happen  say  only  once  in  a  thousand 
times.  The  learned  man's  hat,  jerked  off  by  M.  Goefle's 
efforts  to  free  his  whip,  had  flown  off  and  settled  down 
like  a  great  black  bird  in  the  snow  ;  the  wig  had  held  fast 
to  the  queue,  the  queue  had  refused  to  part  with  the  whip- 
lash, and  the  whip,  which  M.  Goefle  could  not  stop  to 
adjust,  thus  ending  in  a  mass  of  hair  heavy  with  powder, 
lost  all  its  effect  upon  the  sides  of  the  spirited  Loki.  In 
the  first  moments  of  his  triumph,  the  victorious  Larrson 
had  seen  nothing  of  this ;  but  the  outcries  and  com- 
plaints of  Stangstadius,  who,  with  his  head  tied  up  in  a 
handkerchief,  was  demanding  his  wig  from  every  one  he 
could  see,  soon  attracted  his  attention. 

"  He's  the  man-! "  shouted  the  insulted  geologist,  point- 
ing to  M.  Goefle  in  his  mask.  "  That  Italian  buffoon, 
in  a  silk  mask.  He  did  it  on  purpose,  the  rascal !  Here, 
here,  you  scoundrel  of  a  play-actor  !  I'll  slap  your  face 
a  hundred  times,  to  teach  you  to  joke  with  a  man  like 
me." 

An  immense  burst  of  laughter  greeted  the  wrath  of 
Stangstadius,  and  the  whole  assembly  shouted  with 
applause  the  name  of  Christian  Waldo  ;  but  the  scene 
quickly  changed.  Stangstadius,  irritated  by  the  imper- 
tinent laughter  of  the  young  people,  darted  towards  the 
ravisher  of  his  wig,  who  was  standing  erect  upon  his 
sleigh,  piteously  exhibiting  the  cause  of  his  defeat, 
which  looked  not  unlike  a  great  fish  at  the  end  of  a  line. 
M.  Goefle,  in  an  assumed  voice,  began  to  accuse  Stang- 
stadius, in  a  comic  manner,  of  having  played  off  this 
trick  on  him,  so  as  to  prevent  him  from  whipping  his 
horse  and  winning  the  race  ;  but  the  man  of  science, 
who  was  as  nimble  as  a  monkey,  in  spite  of  his  unequal 
legs  and  crooked  arms,  scrambled  up  behind  him, 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


349 


snatched  off  his  hat  and  his  mask,  and  only  paused  in 
his  projects  of  vengeance,  on  recognizing  with  surprise 
his  friend  Goefle,  who  was  instantly  saluted  with  unani- 
mous applause. 

Though  ]V1.  Goefle  was  not  known  to  all  who  were 
present,  his  name  was  repeated  by  a  number  of  persons, 
and  he  was  heartily  greeted.  The  Swedes  are  very 
proud  of  their  eminent  men,  especially  in  any  pursuit 
that  brings  their  native  language  into  notice.  Besides, 
the  honorable  character  of  the  doctor  of  laws,  and  his 
reputation  as  a  man  of  talent,  secured  him  the  respect 
and  affection  of  all  young  people.  They  insisted  on 
proclaiming  him  the  victor  in  the  race,  and  it  was  all  he 
could  do  to  prevent  the  good-natured  major  from  trans- 
f'-irring  the  prize  to  him.  This  Avas  a  drinking-horn, 
curiously  carved  and  ornamented  with  Runic  characters, 
in  silver ;  a  fac-simile  of  a  precious  relic  of  antiquity 
belonging  to  the  baron's  collection,  and  discovered  in  the 
course  of  excavations  made  in  the  hogar  some  years 
before. 

"No,  my  dear  major,"  said  M.  Go.efle,  putting  his 
now  useless  mask  into  his  pocket,  while  Stangstadius 
replaced  his  wig  upon  his  head,  "  I  only  ran  for  honor  ; 
and  since  my  honor,  or  rather  that  of  my  horse,  has  not 
been  tarnished  by  the  few  seconds'  delay  caused  by  that 
unlucky  wig,  I  have  nothing  more  to  wish  for.  I  am 
proud  of  Loki,  and  satisfied  with  myself.  I  should  be 
still  better  contented,"  he  added,  as  he  stepped  out  of 
the 'sleigh,  "if  I  knew  what  had  become  of  the  poor 
fellow's  head-cover  ;  he  will  catch  cold." 

"Here  it  is,"  said  Christian  in  a  low  voice,  approach- 
ing M.  Goefle  ;  "  but  since  you  have  been  recognized,  I 
must  take  myself  off  at  once,  my  dear  uncle.  It  was  well 
enough  for  Christian  Waldo  to  have  a  masked  servant, 
but  in  your  case,  it  would  be  quite  out  of  character." 

"No,  no,  Christian,  I  will  not  part  with  you!"  said 
M.  Goefle.  "We  will  take  a  look  at  the  lake  from  the 
top  of  the  hogar,  and  then  go  back  to  Stollborg.  Stay, 
we'll  give  my  horse  to  one  of  those  peasants  to  hold,  and 
then  make  the  ascent.  Take  this  side-path,  and  keep 


35° 


THE  SNO  W  MAN. 


out  of  the  way  of  the  curious.  A  black  mask,  just  now, 
is  noticed  by  everybody  ;  and  I  see,  unless  we  make  our 
escape,  that  we  shall  soon  be  surrounded  and  cross- 
questioned." 

,XL 

VX7HILE  Christian  and  M.  Goefle  adroitly  escaped  be- 
*  *  hind  the  mound,  the  main  body  of  the  company 
returned  to  the  new  chateau  ;  the  hogar  was  so  steep, 
and  the  cold  so  great,  that  they  would  not  venture  to  as- 
cend it.  And  yet,  in  an  excavation  half  way  up,  a  sort 
of  tent  had  been  prepared,  in  which  the  revellers  were 
expected  to  take  punch  ;  but  the  ladies  had  declined,  and 
most  of  the  gentlemen  followed  them.  In  about  half  an 
hour,  when  Christian  and  the  lawyer  were  coming  down 
from  the  platform,  where  the  statue,  too  much  heated  by 
the  flames  of  the  resinous  torches,  was  beginning  to  melt, 
they  had  the  curiosity  to  look  into  this  grotto,  which  had 
been  hung  and  closed  in  with  tarred  cloths.  They 
found  nobody  there  but  Larrson  and  his  lieutenant.  All 
the  other  young  men,  slaves  either  to  their  lady-loves, 
who  had  returned  to  the  chateau,  or  to  their  horses,  who 
were  in  danger  of  taking  cold,  had  gone,  or  were  about 
going.  Osmund  Larrson  was  an  amiable  young  man, 
who  tried  Avith  all  his  might  to  be  a  Frenchman  in  wit 
and  manners,  but  who,  fortunately  for  himself,  was  at 
heart  devotedly  patriotic.  Lieutenant  Erwin  Osborn  was 
one  of  those  good-natured,  blunt,  decided  characters, 
who  are  unable  even  to  make  an  effort  to  produce  any 
modification  in  themselves.  He  had  all  the  qualities  of 
an  excellent  officer  and  citizen,  with  the  good-nature  of 
a  man  who  is  in  perfect  health,  and  who  does  not  trouble 
himself  about  what  does  not  concern  him.  Larrson  was 
his  friend,  his  leader,  his  idol.  He  followed  him  like 
his  shadow,  and  never  so  much  as  stirred  a  finger  with- 
out his  advice.  He  had  even  consulted  him  in  the  selec- 
tion of  a  sweetheart. 

As  soon  as  the  two  friends  saw  M.  Goefle,  they  hast- 


THE  SNOW  MAN.  351 

ened  to  lay  hold  of  him,  swearing  that  he  should  not 
leave  the  hogar  until  he  had  done  them  the  honor  to 
drink  with  them.  The  punch  was  ready,  and  only  needed 
to  be  set  on  fire 

"  I  want  to  be  able  to  say,"  cried  Larrson,  "  that  I 
drank  in  the  hogar  of  the  lake  on  the  nights  of  December 
26th  and  27th,  with  two  men  so  celebrated  in  different 
professions  as  M.  Edmund  Goefle  and  Christian  Waldo." 

"  Christian  Waldo  !  "  said  M.  Goefle,  "  where  are  you 
going  to  find  him  ?  " 

"  There !  behind  you.  He's  disguised  like  a  poor 
devil,  and  masked ;  but  it's  he,  all  the  same.  He  has 
lost  one  of  his  great  ugly  gloves,  and  I  recognize  his 
white  hand.  I  saw  it  at  Stockholm,  and  observed  it  so 
attentively  that  I  should  know  it  again  amongst  a  thou- 
sand !  See  now,  M.  Christian  Waldo,  you  have  a  very 
handsome  hand,  but  it  has  one  peculiarity  ;  the  little  fin- 
ger of  your  left  hand  is  slightly  curved  under,  and  you 
cannot  quite  straighten  it,  even  when  you  hold  your  hand  _ 
wide  open.  Do  you  uot  remember  at  Stockholm  an 
officer  who  saw  you  rescue  a  little  cabin-boy  from  three 
furious  drunken  sailors  ?  It  was  down  at  the  park  ;  you 
had  come  out  of  your  exhibition,  and  were  still  masked. 
Your  servant  had  run  away.  The  child  would  have 
been  killed  but  for  you.  Do  you  remember  it?" 

"Yes,  monsieur,"  replied  Christian;  "you  were  the 
officer  who  passed.  You  drew  your  sword,  and  put  the 
drunken  rascals  to  flight,  and  then  insisted  upon  taking 
me  with  you  in  your  carriage.  If  it  had  not  been  for 
you  I  might  have  been  killed." 

"  Then  there  would  have  been  one  noble-hearted  man 
the  less,"  said  Larrson.  "Won't  you  give  me  one  more 
shake  of  the  hand,  as  you  did  then?" 

"  With  all  my  heart ! "  said  Christian,  grasping  the 
major's  hand. 

Then,  removing  his  mask,  he  said  to  M.  Goefle : 

"It  is  not  my  custom  to  hide  my  face  from  persons 
who  inspire  me  with  confidence  and  affection." 

"  What !"  exclaimed  the  major  and  his  lieutenant, 
"Christian  Goefle,  our  friend  of  last  night?" 


353 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


"  No  ;  Christian  Waldo,  who  had  stolen  the  name  of 
M.  Goefle,  and  whom  M.  Goefle  has  been  good  enough 
to  pardon  for  a  great  impertinence.  I  recognized  you 
at  once  last  evening,  major." 

"  Ah,  very  good !  You  attended  the  ball  in  spite  of 
the  prejudices  of  the  baron,  who,  perhaps,  had  not  had  the 
.  good  taste  to  invite  you  ?  " 

"But  it  is  nowhere  customary  to  receive  as  a  guest  a 
person  who  is  paid  by  the  master  of  the  house  to  enter- 
tain his  guests.  I  should  really  have  had  no  reason  to 
complain  if  I  had  been  put  out  of  doors,  and  it  was  folly 
in  me  to  expose  myself  to  such  a  danger.  Still,  I  had 
an  excuse  ;  my  object  in  travelling  is  to  observe  the  coun- 
tries through  which  I  pass,  so  as  to  remember  and  de- 
scribe them.  I  am  a  sort  of  note-taking  scribbler  and 
observer ;  by  which  I  do  not  mean,  however,  a  diplo- 
matic spy.  I  study  the  fine  arts  and  sciences  even  more 
than  manners  and  customs,  but  I  am  interested  in  all 
£orts  of  things  ;  and  as  I  have  seen  something  of  society 
elsewhere,  I  took  a  fancy  to  behold  it  once  more  in  all 
its  luxury  —  a  strange  anomaly  —  in  the  midst  of  the 
mountains  and  lakes  and  ice  of  a  country  that  is  appar- 
ently inaccessible.  But  my  face  seems  greatly  to  have 
displeased  the  baron,  and  accordingly  I  wore  my  mask  at 
his  house  to-day.  You  advised  me  last  evening  not  to 
return  thither  at  all." 

"  And  we  should  so  advise  you  still,  dear  Christian," 
said  the  major,  "  if  the  baron  had  remembered  the  inci- 
dent of  last  night,  but  his  illness  appears  to  have  made 
him  forget  it.  However,  look  out  for  his  servants.  Cover 
your  face  again,  and  talk  French,  for  here  are  some  of 
them  now,  bringing  us  the  punch ;  they  may  have  seen 
you  at  the  ball." 

A  vast  silver  bowl,  full  of  flaming  punch,  was  now 
placed  upon  the  table  of  rough  granite,  and  the  major  did 
the  honors  with  much  spirit ;  but  M.  Goefle,  an  instant 
before  so  animated,  had  suddenly  fallen  into  a  brown 
study,  and,  as  in  the  morning,  seemed  to  be  divided  be- 
tween the  desire  of  making  merry  and  that  of  solving  some 
problem. 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


353 


"  What  are  you  thinking  about,  my  dear  uncle?  "  said 
Christian,  filling  his  glass.  "  Do  you  blame  me  for  having 
thrown  aside  my  incognito  before  these  good  friends?" 

"By  no  means,"  answered  the  lawyer ;  "  and  if  you 
permit,  I  will  repeat  your  story  succinctly  to  these  gen- 
tlemen, so  as  to  convince  them  that  they  are  right  in  ad- 
mitting you  to  their  friendship."  * 

"  Yes,  yes !  the  history  of  Christian  Waldo  !  "  cried 
the  two  officers.  "  It  must  be  very  curious  ;  and  if  it 
ought  to  be  kept  secret,  we  swear  upon  our  honor  —  " 

"But  it  is  too  long,"  said  Christian.  "I  am  going 
to  stop  here  at  least  two  days  longer.  Let  us  appoint 
a  rendezvous  where  it  will  be  safer  and  warmer." 

"  Right,"  said  M.  Goefle.  "  Gentlemen,  come  and  see 
us  at  Stollborg  to-morrow  ;  we  will  have  dinner  or  supper 
together." 

"  But  to-morrow,"  replied  the  major,  "  is  the  bear- 
hunt.  Will  yoirnot  come,  both  of  you?" 

"  Both?  No  ;  I  am  no  hunter,  and  I  don't  like  bears. 
And  it  is  not  in  Christian's  line,  either.  Suppose  a  bear 
should  bite  off  one  of  his  hands ;  he  finds  two  none  too 
many  to  work  his  marionettes.  Show  me  your  hand, 
Christian.  That  is  a  singular  crook  of  your  little  finger. 
I  never  noticed  it.  It  is  from  a  hui-t,  is  it  not?  " 

"  No,"  said  Christian  ;  "I  was  born  so." 

And  holding  out  his  left  hand,  he  added : 

"  This  is  the  most  striking ;  but  still,  both  my  hands 
have  the  same  defect  in  a  slight  degree.  However,  it 
gives  me  no  sort  of  inconvenience." 

"  Singular  ;  very  singular  ! "  repeated  M.  Goefle,  scratch- 
ing his  chin,  as  he  habitually  did  when  he  was  puzzled. 

;'  Not  so  very  singular,"  said  Christian  ;  "  I  have  ob- 
served this  trifling  deformity  in  other  people.  For  instance, 
I  noticed  it  in  the  Baron  de  Waldemora,  and  much  more 
obvious  than  in  me." 

"  Yes,  by  Jove  !  precisely  !  That  is  just  what  I  was 
thinking  about.  His  two  little  fingers  are  quite  closed 
down.  Had  you  observed  it,  gentlemen  ?  " 

"Very  often,"  said  Larrson  ;  "and  before  Christian 
Waldo,  who  gives  almost  all  his  earnings  to  the  poor,  it 

23 


354 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


may  be  said,  without  any  allusion  being  suspected,  that 
such  closed  fingers  are  reckoned  a  sign  of  avarice." 

"  And  yet."  said  M.  Goefle,  "  the  baron  is  not  close 
about  money.  I  know  it  might  be  said,  in  his  case,  that 
his  love  of  display  is  an  additional  reason  for  coveting 
riches  at  any  cost ;  but  his  father  was  very  disinterested, 
and  his  brother  generous  to  excess.  So  the  shut  fingers 
.prove  nothing." 

"  Had  the  baron's  father  and  brother  this  same  peculi- 
arity ?  "  asked  Christian. 

"  Yes,  and  very  marked,  as  I  have  understood.  And 
one  day,  as  I  was  studying  the  family  portraits,  I  was 
quite  surprised  to  find  several  of  his  ancestors  with  the 
same  crooked  fingers.  Is  not  that  a  very  singular  thing  ?  " 

"  Let  us  hope,"  observed  Christian,  "  that  I  shall  never 
be  like  the  baron  in  any  other  respect.  But  as  to  the 
bear-hunt,  even  if  I  should  lose  both  my  deformed  hands, 
I  am  dying  to  be  one  of  the  party.  I  sfeall  make  a  point 
of  going." 

"  Come  with  us  !  "  cried  Larrson  ;  "I  will  call  for  you 
in  the  morning." 

"Early?" 

"  Why,  certainly  ;  before  daylight." 

"  That  is  to  say,"  said  Christian,  smiling,  "  a  little 
before  noon." 

"You  calumniate  our  sun,"  said  the  lieutenant;  "it 
will  rise  in  seven  or  eight  hours  from  this  time." 

"  Well,  then,  let's  go  to  bed." 

"  To  bed  !"  cried  M.  Goefle;  "already?  The  punch 
wouldn't  let  you  sleep,  even  then.  I'm  only  beginning  to 
recover  from  my  emotion  over  Stangstadius's  wig.  Let  me 
have  time  to  breathe,  Christian.  I  thought  you  were  bet- 
ter company.  You  are  not  at  all  merry  to  night,  do  you 
know?" 

"  I  confess  it ;  I  am  as  melancholy  as  an  Englishman," 
said  Christian. 

"  Why  so,  nephew?  for  I  shall  insist  upon  it  in  private 
that  you  are  my  nephew,  though  I  so  shamefully  disowned 
you  in  public.  What  makes  you  melancholy?" 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


355 


"  I  don't  know  at  all,  my  dear  uncle,  unless  it  is  that  I 
am  beginning  to  turn  into  a  mountebank." 

"Explain  your  aphorism." 

"I  have  been  travelling  with  my  marionettes  three 
months ;  it  is  too  long.  At  another  period  of  my  life, 
which  I  have  described  to  you,  I  followed  the  same  occu- 
pation for  about  that  time,  and  I  felt  —  though  in  a  less 
degree,  for  I  was  younger  —  the  same  result  as  now.  I 
have  moments  of  great  excitement,  but  my  spirits  are  cor- 
respondingly low  afterwards ;  I  think  of  my  work  with 
disgust  and  indifference  ;  when  actually  performing,  I  am 
carried  away  by  a  feverish  play  of  fancy,  a  sort  of  over- 
floAv  of  gayety  or  emotion  ;  and  as  soon  as  I  take  off  my 
mask  and  become  an  ordinary  person  again,  I  am  over- 
whelmed with  despondency  and  self-contempt." 

"Pshaw!  all  that  is  rny  own  case,  exactly;  arguing 
cases  affects  me  in  just  that  way.  Every  orator  or  actor, 
every  artist  or  professional  man,  who  is  obliged  to  be 
hard  at  work  for  half  his  life  in  instructing,  enlightening, 
or  amusing  others,  as  soon  as  the  curtain  falls'  is  weary 
of  the  whole  human  race  and  of  himself.  If  I  am  good- 
humored  and  happy  at  present,  it  is  only  because  I  have 
been  idle  for  four  or  five  days.  You  should  see  me  in  my 
own  home,  on  returning  from  court !  You  should  hear 
me  then,  scoldiug  at  my  housekeeper  for  not  bringing  the 
tea  promptly  enough,  at  the  clients  who  are  besieging  me, 
at  the  doors  of  my  house  for  creaking  !  Everything  irri- 
tates me.  Finally,  I  sit  down  in  an  arm-chair,  take  up 
some  book  of  history  or  philosophy,  or  a  novel,  and  very 
soon  go  happily  to  sleep  in  entire  forgetfulness  of  my 
cursed  profession." 

"  You  sleep  happily,  M.  Goefle  ;  it  is  because,  in  spite 
of  the  excitement  of  your  nerves,  you  feel  that  you  have 
been  doing  something  earnest  and  useful." 

"  Hm  !  Hm  !  Not  always  !  One  cannot  always  argue 
on  the  right  side,  and  even  in  pleading  the  very  best 
cause,  one  cannot  be  always  sure  of  using  arguments  that 
are  exactly  just  and  true.  Believe  me,  Christian,  al- 
though the  saying  is  that  no  occupation  is  foolish,  I  say 
that  all  occupations  are  so  ;  so  it  makes  little  difference 


356 


THE    SNOW  MAN. 


which  of  them  you  adopt.  Do  not  despise  your  own,  for 
such  as  it  is,  it  is  a  hundred  times  more  moral  than  mine." 

'•  Oh  !  oh  !  M.  Goefle,  what  a  paradox  that  is  !  Come, 
let  us  hear  you  argue  it !  You  can  use  plenty  of  eloquence 
there." 

"No  eloquence,  my  children,"  said  M.  Goefle,  as  the 
two  officers  and  Christian  urged  him  to  give  rein  to  his 
imagination  ;  "•  there  would  be  no  use  in  sophisticating  ; 
and  besides,  I  am  taking  a  vacation.  But  I  tell  you  in  per- 
fect good  faith,  that  the  art  of  story-telling  is  superior  to  all 
others.  It  is  incontestably  the  first  in  point  of  time,  for 
as  soon  as  men  could  talk  they  invented  mythologies, 
composed  poems,  and  recited  histories  ;  and  it  is  the  first 
in  moral  usefulness,  too — I  am  ready  to  maintain  it 
against  the  whole  university,  and  even  Stangstadius  him- 
self, who  believes  nothing  but  what  he  can  touch.  Man 
never  learns  by  experience.  You  may  teach  him  authentic 
history  as  much  as  you  please,  and,  in  spite  of  it,  he  will 
continually  reenact  —  on  a  higher  level,  if  you  choose, 
corresponding  to  his  grade  of  civilization  —  the  same 
faults  aud  follies  as  ever.  Do  we  even  learn  by  our  owu 
experience?  I  know  well  enough  that  I  shall  be  ill  to- 
morrow for  having  played  the  young  man  to-night,  and 
you  see  how  much  I  care  for  it.  It  is  not  reason  which 
controls  man,  it  is  imagination — fancy.  That  is,  it  is 
art,  poetry,  music,  painting,  the  drama.  Wait,  gentle- 
men, let  me  empty  my  glass  before  I  proceed  to  my  second 
head." 

"  Your  health,  M.  Goefle  !"  cried  the  three  friends. 

"  And  yours,  my  children  !  Well,  to  proceed  :  I  do 
not  consider  Christian  Waldo  as  a  showman  of  marion- 
ettes ?  What  is  a  marionette  ?  A  bit  of  wood  covered 
with  a  rag.  It  is  the  intellect  and  the  soul  of  Christian 
which  give  interest  and  significance  to  his  pieces.  I  look 
on  him  as  not  merely  an  actor,  for  he  has  to  do  something 
more  than  vary  his  accent  and  change  his  voice  every  mo- 
ment, in  order  to  move  his  audience  ;  that  is  a  mere  trick 
of  his  trade.  He  is  an  author  as  well,  for  his  plays  are 
little  masterpieces.  They  remind  one  of  those  short,  ex- 
quisite musical  pieces  which  illustrious  composers  of  the 


THE   SNOW  MAN.  357 

Italian  and  German  schools  have  written  for  theatres  like 
his.  '  Music  for  children,'  they  modestly  call  it,  but  it 
has  always  been  the  delight  of  connoisseurs.  Then,  gen- 
tlemen, let  us  render  justice  to  Christian  Waldo." 

"  Yes  !  yes  !  "  cried  the  two  officers,  enthusiastic  under 
the  influence  of  their  punch  ;  "long  live  Christian  Waldo  ! 
He  is  a  man  of  genius !  " 

"  Not  at  all,"  said  Christian,  laughing,  "  but  I  see  now 
what  makes  my  uncle  despise  the  profession  of  law  so 
much.  It  enables  him  to  maintain,  and  to  make  other 
people  believe,  the  most  enormous  misrepresentations." 

"  Hush,  nephew  !  It's  not  your  turn  to  speak  !  I  say 
—  but,  Christian,  you  are  an  ungrateful  fellow  !  You  are 
not  a  lawyer,  and  yet  you  complain  !  You  can  investi- 
gate the  abstract  truth  embodied  in  all  kinds  of  fictions, 
and  yet  you  grow  tired  of  making  men  love  it !  You  pos- 
sess intellect,  a  good  heart,  education,  and  knowledge  of 
the  world,  and  here  you  are  calling  yourself  a  mounte- 
bank, just  to  depreciate  your  work,  and  perhaps  to  aban- 
don it !  Wretch  !  is  that  your  purpose  ?  " 

"  Yes,  that  is  my  intention,"  said  Christian,  "I  have 
had  enough  of  it.  I  did  suppose  I  could  keep  it  up  longer, 
but  I  find  that  my  constant  incognito  wearies  me ;  it 
seems  discreditable  to  a  man  of  my  real  character.  I 
must  find  the  means  of  travelling  without  begging.  I  have 
already  devoted  much-  thought  to  this  subject  —  it  is  a 
great  problem  to  a  man  without  means.  A  person  who 
lives  in  one  place  can  always  find  work  ;  he  who  desires 
to  move  about,  finds  it  difficult  to  do  so,  nowadays.  In 
ancient  times,  M.  Goefle,  to  travel  was  to  make  conquest 
of  the  earth  for  the  good  of  humanity  ;  it  was  recognized 
as  a  high  mission,  as  the  vocation  of  superior  minds.  The 
traveller,  accordingly,  was  a  sacred  being  in  the  eyes  of 
all  people.  They  greeted  his  arrival  with  respect,  and 
resorted  to  him  for  news  of  other  countries,  and  of  the 
general  progress  of  humanity.  At  present,  if  the  traveller 
has  not  sufficient  means  of  his  own,  he  must  become 
either  a  beggar,  a  thiefj  or  a  strolling  player." 

"  Why  do  you  use  such  a  contemptuous  term?  "  said 
M.  Goefle ;  "the  object  of  the  actor  (I  should  prefer  to 


358 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


call  him  interpreter,  since  his  object  is  to  interpret  works 
of  the  imagination)  is  to  lead  men's  minds  away  from  the 
merely  practical ;  and  since  the  majority  of  our  stupid  race 
are  essentially  prosaic,  and  absorbed  in  their  material  in- 
terests, the  tyrants  who  govern  public  opinion  discourage 
both  poets  and  their  interpreters.  If  they  dared,  they 
would  still  more  emphatically  discourage  preachers,  who 
speak  to  them  of  heaven,  and  religion,  which  wars  against 
selfish  passions,  and  is,  in  fact,  a  system  of  idealism.  No 
one  objects  to  idealism  when  presented  as  a  revealed  truth, 
for  no  one  dares.  But  it  is  promptly  rejected  when  it 
only  says,  '  I  come  to  demonstrate  to  you  the  beautiful 
and  good,  by  means  of  symbols  and  fables.' " 

"  And  yet,"  said  Christian,  "  the  sacred  books  are  full 
of  apologues.  It  is  the  preaching  suited  to  an  age  of 
faith  and  simplicity.  But  it  does  not  seem  to  me,  M. 
Goefle,  that  the  cause  of  the  prejudice  is  exactly  where 
you  have  placed  it,  or  if  it  be,  it  is  only  in  virtue  of  a  fact 
to  which  I  would  draw  your  attention.  The  actor  has  no 
real  connection  with  the  rest  of  society.  He  does  nothing 
intrinsically  useful  as  an  actor,  and  men's  valuations  of 
each  other  are  based  upon  an  exchange  of  services  intrin- 
sically useful.  Remember,  all  the  other  professions  are 
intimately  concerned  with  the  destiny  of  every  individual 
in  society,  even  that  of  the  priest ;  for  even  to  infidels  he 
is  still  an  official  indispensable  to  their  civic  state.  Other 
professional  persons  are  each,  at  one  time  or  another,  the 
hope  or  support  of  every  man.  To  the  physician,  he  looks 
for  health  ;  the  lawyer  represents  the  gaining  of  his  cause  ; 
the  speculator  is  to  give  him  a  fortune  ;  the  tradesman 
provides  him  provisions ;  the  soldier  protects  him ;  the 
scientific  man  promotes  the  success  of  his  business  by 
making  discoveries  ;  the  professor  of  any  of  the  branches 
of  human  knowledge  is  ready  to  instruct  him  for  some 
employment  or  other ;  the  actor  alone  discourses  upon  all 
subjects,  but  supplies  him  with  nothing  —  unless  it  be 
good  advice,  which  the  auditor  had  to  pay  for  at  the  door, 
•when  he  could  have  given  it  to  himself  gratis." 

"  "Well,  well !  "  cried  M.  Goefle,  "what  are  you  quib- 
bling about,  then  ?  We  agree  perfectly  —  you  are  only 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 

proving  what  I  said.     The  vulgar  always  despise  imag- 
ination and  sentiment." 

"Not  exactly  that,  M.  Goefle.  It  is  unfruitful  senti- 
ment—  unproductive  imagination  —  which  they  despise  ! 
There  is  a  good  deal  of  justice  in  the  opinion  of  the  bour- 
geois, who  might  say  to  the  actor,  '  You  discourse  to  me 
about  virtue,  love,  devotion,  reason,  courage,  happiness  ! 
Yes,  for  that  is  your  trade  ;  but  since  this  is  all  you  can 
do,  you  must  not  object  to  being  set  down  by  me  as  an  idle 
babbler.  If  you  are  anything  more,  come  down  from  your 
platform,  and  help  me  to  arrange  my  own  affairs  as  well 
as  you  arrange  the  plots  of  your  plays.  Cure  my  gout ; 
gain  my  lawsuit ;  enrich  my  firm  ;  marry  my  daughter  to 
the  man  she  loves ;  find  a  good  position  for  my  son-in- 
la\v.  If  you  can't  do  any  of  these  things,  make  me  a 
pair  of  shoes,  pave  my  court-yard.  Do  something  or 
other  to  earn  the  money  I  have  paid  you.'  " 

"  And  you  conclude  from  this?"  said  M.  Goefle. 

"  I  conclude  that  every  one  ought  to  have  an  employ- 
ment in  which  he  can  be  directly  useful'  to  others  ;  and 
that  the  prejudice  which  prevails  against  actors  will  cease 
at  once,  when  theatres  shall  be  free  institutions,  and  when 
all  persons  of  ability  and  dramatic  gifts  shall  be  pre- 
pared to  do  their  part  as  actors  for  the  love  of  art, 
whenever  they  may  be  called  upon,  whatever  may  be 
their  usual  occupation." 

"•  Well,  anyhow,  that  is  a  dream  that  goes  far  beyond 
any  of  my  paradoxes." 

"  I  don't  deny  it ;  but  nobody  believed  in  the  exist- 
ence of  America  two  Irundred  years  ago ;  and  it  is  my 
opinion  that  in  two  hundred  years  more,  we  shall  see 
things  far  more  extraordinary  than  we  dream  of  now  in 
our  wildest  imaginings." 

This  conclusion  reached,  the  friends  drank  the  re- 
mainder of  the  punch,  and  Christian  would  have  taken 
leave  of  M.  Goefle,  who  seemed  inclined  to  go  and  dance 
a  courante  at  the  new  chateau  with  the  young  officers. 
However,  the  doctor  of  laws  would  not  part  from  his 
young  friend,  who  was  really  in  need  of  rest ;  and  after 
having  agreed  to  meet  next  day,  or  rather  the  same  day, 


360 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


for  it  was  now  two  o'clock  in  the  morning,  the  party  went 
in  search  of  their  respective  vehicles. 

"Well,  Christian,"  said  M.  Goefle,  when  they  were 
seated  side  by  side  in  the  sleigh,  on  their  way  back  to 
Stollborg,  "were  you  in  earnest  in  what  you  said 
about?  —  by  the  way,  I  notice  that  I  have  fallen  into  a 
habit,  I  don't  know  how,  of  addressing  you  very  famil- 
iarly by  your  given  name." 

"Please  to  continue  it,  M.  Goefle,  it  is  very  pleasant 
to  me." 

"But  I  am  not  old  enough  to  take  liberties  of  that 
kind  —  I  am  not  sixty  yet,  Christian  ;  I  don't  want  you 
to  consider  me  a  patriarch." 

"God  forbid  !  But  I  considered  the  liberty  you  speak 
of  as  a  mark  of  friendship." 

"  So  it  is,  my  son.  Well,  in  that  case  I  will  let  cer- 
emony go  ;  tell  me — " 

Here  M.  Goefle  paused  so  long  that  Christian  thought 
he  was  asleep  ;  but  he  aroused  himself,  and  said  sud- 
denly : 

"Tell  me,  Christian,  if  you  were  rich  what  would 
you  do  with  your  money?" 

"Do?"  said  the  young  man,  surprised;  "I  should 
try  to  make  as  many  people  as  possible  partakers  in  my 
happiness." 

"Then  it  would  make  you  happy?" 

"Yes.     I  would  make  a  voyage  round  the  Avorld." 

"And  then?" 

"Then?  —  I  don't  know — I  would  write  an  account 
of  my  travels." 

"And  then?" 

"I  would  marry,  and  have  some  children.  I  am  very 
fond  of  children." 

"And  would  you  leave  Sweden?" 

"Who  knows?  I. have  no  ties  to  bind  me  anywhere. 
The  deuce  take  me  if — don't  think  I  am  exaggerating, 
for  I  am  not  intoxicated  —  but,  M.  Goefle,  I  feel  a  very 
warm  affection  for  you,  and  I'll  be  hanged  if  the  pleas- 
ure of  living  near  you  would  not  have  a  great  deal  to 
do  with  forming  my  resolution  !  But  what  is  the  use 


THE    SNOW  MAN.  361 

of  talking  about  it?  I  have  no  taste  for  building  castles 
in  Spain,  and  have  never  anticipated  being  rich.  In 
two  days  I  shall  go,  I  don't  know  whither,  and  per- 
haps shall  never  return." 

When  the  two  friends  reached  the  bear-room,  they 
had  so  entirely  forgotten  about  its  being  haunted,  that 
they  went  to  bed  and  to  sleep,  without  even  remember- 
ing to  renew  their  consultation  concerning  the  appa- 
rition of  the  previous  night. 

They  tried,  for  a  while,  to  keep  on  talking  after  they 
had  gone  to  bed ;  but,  though  M.  Goefle  was  still  some- 
what excited,  and  though  Christian  answered  his  remarks 
with  all  the  good-nature  in  the  world,  sleep  very  soon 
descended  upon  the  young  man  like  an  avalanche  of 
feathers ;  and  the  doctor,  after  scolding  a  little  at  Nils, 
who  was  snoring  loud  enough  to  break  the  windows, 
finally  went  to  sleep  himself. 

It  was  at  just  about  this  time  that  the  Baron  de  Wal- 
demora  awoke,  at  the  new  chateau.  Johan,  on  'entering 
the  room  according  to  order,  found  him  sitting  on  the 
bed,  half  dressed. 

"  It  is  three  o'clock,  your  lordship,"  said  the  major- 
domo  ;  "  have  you  had  any  sleep?  " 

"I  have  slept,  Johan,  but  very  poorly  ;  I  have  been 
dreaming  about  those  puppets  all  night  long." 

"Well,  my  dear  masterf  your  dreams  can't  have  been 
very  sad,  then.  Those  puppets  were  very  amusing." 

"  You  thought  so,  did  you ?     Oh,  very  well  I" 

"Why,  you  laughed  at  them  yourself." 

"Oh  yes;  one  must  always  laugh,  of  course.  Life  is 
one  long,  perpetual  laugh.  A  melancholy  one,  Johan  !  " 

"Ah,  master,  no  black  thoughts!  What  are  your 
orders  ?  " 

"  None.     If  I  am  to  die  to-day,  who  can  hinder  it?  " 

"Die?  What  the  devil  put  that  into  your  head?  You 
are  looking  capitally  this  morning." 

"But  if  I  should  be  assassinated?" 

"Who  would  think  of  any  such  thing?" 

"A  good  many  people.     And  especially  the  unknown 


363  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

who    came   to   the   ball ;    he   whose    face    and   whose 
threat  —  " 

"That  counterfeit  nephew  of  the  advocate?  I  can't 
imagine  why  that  fellow's  face  should  torment  you  so. 
It  was  not  in  the  least  like  — " 

"Be  still !  you  never  saw  clearly  in  your  life  ;  you  are 
near-sighted  ! " 

"  No  I  am  not,  indeed." 

"A  man  insolent  enough  to  look  me  in  the  face  and 
defy  me,  in  my  own  house,  before  everybody  ! " 

"  You  have  been  served  so  more  than  once  before,  and 
have  always  laughed  at  it." 

"And  this  time  I  fell,  as  if  struck  by  a  thunderbolt." 

"  It's  that  cursed  anniversary.  You  know  it  makes 
you  ill  every  year :  and  afterwards  you  forget  all 
about  it." 

"I  don't  reproach  myself  for  anything,  Johan." 

"The  devil!  Did  you  think  I  was  reproaching  you 
for  anything?" 

"But  what  can  be  the  matter  with  this  poor  head 
of  mine,  to  make  me  have  these  visions?" 

"Pshaw!  It's  the  height  of  the  cold  season;  every- 
body sees  them." 

"Do  you  ever?" 

"I?  no,  never.  I  eat  a  great  deal ;  but  you — you  eat 
nothing  at  all.  By  the  way,  you  ought  to  have  some- 
thing now  ;  some  tea,  at  least." 

"Not  yet.    What  do  you  think  of  this  Italian's  story  ?  " 

"That  Tebaldo?  You  haven't  told  me  the  first  word 
of  it." 

"Very  true.     "Well,  I  will  not,  either." 

"Why?" 

"  It's  too  absurd.  Still — do  you  believe  Lawyer  Goefle 
is  my  enemy?  He  may  be." 

"I  can't  see  why." 

"Nor  I  either.  I  have  always  paid  him  handsomely, 
and  his  father  was  quite  devoted  to  me." 

"And  besides,  M.  Goefle  is  a  man  of  mind;  a  fine 
speaker ;  a  man  of  the  world,  and  without  prejudices, 
believe  me." 


THE   SNOW  MAN.  363 

"You  are  mistaken.  He  will  not  bring  suit  against 
Rosenstein.  He  says  I  am  in  the  wrong ;  he  opposed 
me  yesterday.  I  hate  that  Goefle  ! " 

"Already?  Pshaw!  wait  a  little.  Offer  him  an  un- 
commonly large  fee,  and  he'll  find  out  that  you  are  in 
the  right,  after  all." 

"I  did;  and  got  a  very  disagreeable  answer.  I  tell 
you  I  hate  him  ! " 

"Very  well,  then  —  what  do  you  choose  to  have  hap- 
pen to  him?" 

'•I  don't  know  yet.     We  will  see.    But  old  Stenson?" 

"  Old  Stenson  ?     What  about  him  ?" 

'  •  Do  you  believe  he  could  have  betrayed  me  ? " 

"When?" 

"That  is  not  what  I  asked  you.  Do  you  think  him 
capable  of  dissimulation  ?" 

"I  think  he's  an  idiot." 

"You  are  an  idiot  yourself.  He  is  shrewder  than 
you,  or  than  I  either,  perhaps.  Ah !  if  that  Italian's 
story  should  be  true  !  " 

' '  Then  you  don't  mean  that  I  shall  know  it  ?  Very 
well ;  go  on  tormenting  yourself.  Make  your  own  inves- 
tigations, and  let  me  go  back  to  bed." 

"  Johan,  you  are  scolding  me  !"  said  the  baron,  with 
extraordinary  mildness.  "Be  satisfied;  you  shall  know 
all." 

"Oh  yes  ;  when  you  want  something  of  me  !  " 

"I  shall  want  you  immediately.  This  Italian  must 
be  made  to  produce  his  proofs,  if  he  has  any.  Was 
nothing  found  on  him  ?  " 

"Nothing.     I  searched  him  myself." 

"He  told  me  that  he  did  not  have  them  with  him. 
And  what  could  he  have  had?  Do  you  remember  that 
Mamisses  ?  " 

"  I  should  think  so  !  That  old  fellow  who  used  to  sell 
his  merchandise  here  ;  and  at  high  prices,  too  ! " 

"Hei.sdead." 

"All  the  same  to  me." 

"  This  Italian  killed  him." 

"What  a  ridiculous  idea  !     For  what?" 


364 


THE    SNOW  MAN. 


"To  rob  him,  probably,  and  to  get  a  certain  letter." 

"From  whom?" 

"Stenson." 

"An  interesting  one?" 

"Why  yes,  most  certainly,  if  it  contains  what  this 
rascal  pretends  it  does." 

"Well,  tell  me  what  it  was,  if  you  want  me  to  under- 
stand." 

The  baron  and  his  confidant  continued  their  conver- 
sation, but  in  such  low  tones  that  the  walls  themselves 
could  not  have  overheard  them.  The  baron  was  agi- 
tated ;  Johan  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"Well,"  said  the  latter,  when  his  master  concluded, 
"it's  a  story  that  would  put  you  to  sleep  standing  up. 
This  blackguard  of  a  Tebaldo  has  forged  it  from  the 
reports  that  are  circulating  through  the  country,  so  as 
to  make  money  out  of  you." 

"  He  says  that  he  never  put  foot  in  Sweden  before 
yesterday,  and  that  he  came  direct  from  Holland  by  way 
of  Dronthiem." 

"Possibly;  but  what  of  that?  He  may  have  picked 
up  his  information  accidentally  somewhere  in  the  neigh- 
borhood. So  many  stories  are  told  about  you  !  And 
perhaps,  in  some  of  his  travels,  he  really  did  meet  this 
old  Manasses,  who  knew  all  about  them  before." 

"Well,  what  shall  we  do  about  it?" 

"  You  must  frighten  M.  Italian,  and  not  allow  yourself 
to  be  black-mailed.  You  must  promise  him  —  " 

"How  much?" 

"  Two  or  three  hours  in  our  chamber  of  roses." 

"  He  will  think  it  a  mere  threat.  He  has  heard,  no 
doubt,  that  racks  and  wheels  were  abolished  in  Sweden, 
under  the  old  bishop." 

"Do  you  suppose  the  captain  of  the  great  tower  needs 
any  such  old  rubbish  to  help  him  find  a  tongue  in  a  man 
of  flesh  and  bones?" 

"Then  you  think  —  " 

"  Cover  him  all  up  with  roses  until  he  confesses  that 
he  has  lied,  or  else  tells  where  he  has  concealed  his 
evidence." 


THE   SNOW  MAN.  365 

"  Impossible  !  He  will  yell,  and  the  castle  is  full  of 
people." 

"But  the  hunt?  You  must  go  to  it  whether  alive  or 
dead  ;  every  one  will  follow  you." 

"  Somebody  always  stays,  if  it  be  only  some  one's 
servants.  And  then  the  old  women  —  they  will  be 
whispering  about  that  I  am  exerting  an  authority  which 
the  state  has  strictly  reserved  for  itself." 

"Oh,  nonsense!  Don't  trouble  yourself  about  them. 
Besides,  I  will  arrange  all  that ;  I  will  say  it  is  a  poor 
devil  Avhose  leg  has  been  crushed,  and  who  is  being 
operated  upon." 

"And  will  you  i-eceive  his  information?" 

"Certainly.     Who  else." 

"I  should  prefer  to  be  there  myself." 

"  You  know  you  are  so  soft-hearted  that  you  can't 
bear  to  see  any  one  in  pain." 

"Very  true;  it  puts  my  .stomach  and  bowels  out  of 
order.  Well,  I'll  be  off  at  the  hunt." 

"Do  so  ;  and  in  the  meanwhile  go  to  sleep  again.  I 
will  see  to  everything." 

"And  will  you  find  the  unknown?" 

"  He  must  be  a  confederate  of  this  fellow.  We  shall 
only  find  him  through  Tebaldo's  confessions." 

"Right  ;  it  must  be  so,  for  he  offered  to  deliver  him 
up  to  me  —  But  it  may  not  be  the  same  man?" 

"  Well,  I  will  confess  him  thoroughly  on  all  points,  so 
Bleep  in  peace." 

"  Have  you  kept  your  Italian  fasting?" 

"  Why,  of  course  !  " 

"  Go,  then  ;  I  will  try  to  get  a  little  more  sleep.  You 
have  done  me  a  great  deal  of  good,  Johan.  You  always 
have  suggestions  to  make.  For  my  part,  I  am  failing. 
Man  Diett !  How  fast  I  have  grown  old." 

Johan  now  departed,  directing  Jacob  to  call  his  lord- 
ship at  eight.  Jacob  was  a  valet-de-chambre  who  al- 
ways slept  in  a  room  next  the  baron's  sleeping-room. 
He  was  an  honest  fellow,  to  whom  the  barou  had  always 
played  the  part  of  a  good  master  ;  for  he  knew  how  im- 
portant it  is  to  have  some  trustworthy  people  about  one, 


366  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

if  only  for  the  sake  of  sleeping  without  fear,  under  their 
guard. 

Christian,  in  the  meanwhile,  who  always  slept  well, 
wherever  or  in  whatever  company  he  was,  awoke  after 
about  six  hours'  rest,  and  arose  softly,  to  look  out  at  the 
sky.  It  was  not  yet  daylight,  but  as  the  young  man  was 
about  to  lie  down  again,  he  remembered  the  hunting- 
party,  which  they  were  probably  already  beginning  to 
organize  at  the  new  chateau.  Christian  was  no  hunter, 
except  with  reference  to  natural  history.  He  Avas  a  cap- 
ital shot,  but  had  never  had  a  passion  for  slaughtering 
game  merely  to  kill  time  and  show  his  skill ;  but  a  bear- 
hunt  was  something  new,  picturesque,  and  also  interest- 
ing from  a  zoological  point  of  view.  At  the  thought  of 
it  he  was  instantly  wide  awake,  and  fully  intent  upon 
witnessing  this  novel  spectacle,  although  he  might  pos- 
sibly find  it  necessary  to  return  before  it  was  quite  over, 
in  order  to  prepare  for  his  evening's  performance  with 
M.  Goefle. 

Before  going  to  sleep,  he  had  said  something  on  the 
subject  to  the  doctor  of  laws,  but  he  was  opposed  to  his 
going,  since  he  did  not  care  anything  about  the  hunt 
himself.  Christian  accordingly  foresaw  that  his  good 
uncle  would  try  to  stop  him,  and,  knowing  his  own  com- 
pliant disposition,  he  also  foresaw  that  he  should  yield. 

"  Pshaw  !  "  he  said  to  himself;  "I  had  better  slip  off 
quietly,  and  leave  a  couple  of  words  in  pencil  for  him,  to 
keep  him  from  being  uneasy.  He  will,  perhaps,  be  a  little 
annoyed,  and  he  will  not  like  breakfasting  alone,  but  he 
has  still  some  work  to  do  ;  he  has  to  visit  old  Stenson 
again,  and  I  shall  probably  be  back  before  he  begins  to 
feel  lonely." 

So  Christian  stepped  softly  from  the  guard-room  to  the 
bear-room,  where  he  dressed  himself.  Then,  after  put- 
ting on  his  mask  under  his  hat,  partly  from  habit  and 
partly  as  a  precaution,  he  went  out  by  way  of  the  gaard, 
now  plunged  in  silence  and  darkness.  Thence,  passing 
through  the  fruit-garden,  standing  in  its  wintry  desola- 
tion, he  reached  the  lake,  and  finding  that  he  was  much 
nearer  the  shore  at  this  point  than  if  he  had  descended 


THE  SNOW  MAN.  367 

by  the  path  on  the  northern  side,  he  crossed  the  narrow 
space  of  ice,  and  proceeded  by  land  towards  the  new 
chateau. 

At  this  very  moment,  Johan  was  advancing  across  the 
lake  from  the  opposite  direction  ;  without  the  least  sus- 
picion of  the  recent  flight  of  his  game,  he  was  coming  to 
take  up  his  post  of  observation  at  Stollborg. 


XII. 


ct  to  find  the  major  at  the  new 

chateau.  He  knew  that  the  young  officer,  after  the 
evening's  entertainment  at  the  chateau,  went  every  night, 
or  rather  every  morning,  to  his  bostoelle,  which  was  only 
a  little  way  oft'.  He  had  not  thought  to  ask  him  in  what 
direction  his  country-house  was,  and  he  made  no  effort, 
therefore,  to  find  it.  It  was  merely  his  intention  to  watch 
th.e  preparations  for  the  hunt  at  a  distance,  and  to  mix 
among  the  peasants  who  were  engaged  in  the  general 
battue. 

He  was  still  following  the  path  along  the  shore  of  the 
lake,  when,  by  the  glimmering  light  of  the  dawn  which 
was  just  beginning  to  appear,  he  saw  a  man  coming  to 
meet  him.  He  lowered  his  mask  at  once,  but  raised  it 
almost  immediately,  on  recognizing  Lieutenant  Osburu. 

"Upon  my  word,"  said  the  latter,  as  they  shook  hands, 
"  I  am  delighted  to  find  you  here  ;  I  was  going  in  search 
of  you,  and  we  shall  gain  half  an  hour's  time  by  this 
meeting.  Come,  make  haste  !  the  major  is  close  at  hand 
waiting  for  us." 

They  proceeded  in  the  direction  from  which  Erwiu 
Osburn  had  just  come  ;  he  took  the  lead,  and  very  soon 
turned  into  a  path  leading  up  the  left  side  of  the  moun- 
tain. When  Christian,  who  followed,  had  ascended  this 
path,  which  was  quite  steep,  for  a  few  minutes,  he  saw 
two  sleighs  standing  motionless  in  a  narrow  ravine  be- 
neath him.  The  major,  who  was  in  one  of  them,  saw 


368  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

him  at  the  same  time,  and  ran  forward  with  a  pleased 
expression. 

"Bravo!"  he  cried;  "you  are  punctual  by  inspira- 
tion !  How  the  devil  did  you  know  that  we  were  here?" 

"  I  had  no  idea  of  such  a  thing,"  replied  Christian  ;  "I 
was  going  to  the  new  chateau  merely  by  chance." 

"Then  chance  is  for  us  the  first  thing  in  the  morning ; 
and  that  is  a  sign  that  we  shall  be  fortunate  in  the  hunt. 
Really,  you  are  capitally  disguised,  just  as  you  were  yes- 
terday evening ;  but  you  have  neither  the  proper  shoes 
nor  weapons  for  the  present  occasion.  Luckily  I  foresaw 
that  it  would  be  so,  and  we  have  brought  all  that  you 
will  want.  In  the  meanwhile,  take  this  cloak  as  a  pro- 
tection against  the  cold,  and  let  us  start  instantly.  We 
are  going  quite  a  distance,  and  the  day  will  not  be  too 
long  for  all  we  have  to  do." 

Christian  stepped,  with  Larrson,  into  one  of  the  small 
country  sleighs,  very  light,  with  seats  for  two,  and  drawn 
by  a  little  mountain  horse.  The  lieutenant  and  Corporal 
Duff,  a  kind-hearted  old  man,  a  non-commissioned  officer, 
and  a  great  expert  in  hunting,  got  into  the  second  sleigh, 
which  was  exactly  like  it.  The  major  took  the  lead,  and 
they  started  at  a  rapid  canter. 

"You  must  know,"  the  major  said  to  Christian,  "that 
we  are  making  all  this  haste  so  as  to  have  a  private  hunt 
of  our  own.  The  baron  has  plenty  of  game,  and  plenty 
of  skilful  marksmen  upon  his  domain,  and  he  himself  is 
a  very  accomplished  and  very  courageous  hunter.  But 
as  he  will  be  obliged  to  conduct  or  send  a  great  many  of 
his  guests  to  the  battue  to-day,  who  are  more  remarkable 
for  their  boasting  than  their  skill,  it  is  much  to  be  feared 
that  they  will  make  a  great  deal  of  noise,  and  do  very  lit- 
tle execution.  Besides,  the  battue  with  peasants  has  no 
great  interest,  as  you  can  see  for  yourself,  when  we  re- 
turn down  that  mountain  that  you  see  before  you,  after 
having  made  our  expedition.  It  is  really  a  sort  of  cow- 
ardly assassination.  They  surround  the  poor  bear,  who 
is  not  always  willing  to  leave  his  den  ;  they  terrify  him, 
they  harrass  him,  and  when  he  comes  out  at  last  to  fight 
or  fly,  they  shoot  at  him  without  the  least  danger,  from  be- 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


569 


hind  strong  nets,  where  they  are  protected  from  his  des- 
perate attacks.  Of  course  there  can  be  nothing  exciting, 
nothing  unexpected  or  startling  in  a  hunt  conducted  in 
this  way  ;  and  besides,  it  often  happens  that  the  impatient 
and  awkward  members  of  the  party  make  the  whole 
thing  fail,  and  that  the  beast  has  packed  off  before  they 
can  come  up  to  it.  We  shall  go  to  work  in  a  very  differ- 
ent way,  without  trackers,  without  noise,  and  without 
dogs.  I  will  tell  you  what  is  to  be  clone,  when  the  right 
time  comes.  And  you  may  rest  assured  that  a  real  hunt 
is  like  all  true"  pleasures  ;  it  does  not  admit  of  a  crowd. 
It  is  a  noble  diversion,  which  you  can  only  enjoy  with 
your  friends,  or  persons  of  exceptional  merit." 

"I  must  thank  you  doubly,  then,"  replied  Christian, 
"  for  wishing  me  to  share  with  you  this  confidential  pleas- 
ure ;  but  pray  explain  to  me  how  it  is  that  you  are  at 
liberty  to  kill  the  baron's  game  before  him.  I  should  have 
thought  he  would  be  more  jealous  of  his  prerogatives  as 
a  hunter,  and  of  his  rights  as  a  proprietor." 

"For  that  very  reason  it  is  not  his  game  that  we  are 
going  to  try  and  kill.  His  estates  are  considerable,  but 
the  whole  country  does  not  belong  to  him,  God  be  praised  ! 
Do  you  see  those  fine  mountains  directly  in  front  of  you  ? 
that  is  the  Norwegian  frontier,  and  on  the  outskirts  of 
those  gigantic  ramparts  we  shall  find  a  group  called 
Blaakdal.  There,  in  the  midst  of  those  sublime  wilder- 
nesses, and  sometimes  enveloped  by  clouds,  for  the  sum- 
mits of  the  mountains  are  not  often  so  clear  as  they  are 
to-day,  live  a  few  free  peasants,  who  are  landowners. 
From  one  of  these  dannemans  (that  is  what  they  are 
called)  my  friends  and  myself  have  purchased  a  bear, 
whose  retreat  he  has  just  discovered.  This  danneman, 
whose  familiarity  with  all  such  matters  makes  him  a  very 
interesting  man,  lives  in  a  magnificent  site,  which  is  al- 
most inaccessible  to  a  carriage,  but,  with  the  help  of  God 
and  these  good  little  mountain-horses,  we  shall  get  there. 
We  will  breakfast  at  his  house,  after  which  he  himself 
will  be  our  guide  to  his  lordship  the  bear,  who  —  since  he 
has  not  been  tracked  beforehand  by  babblers  and  reckless 
fools  —  will  aAvait  us  without  mistrust,  and  receive  us 

24 


370 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


—  according  to  his  mood  at  the  moment.  But  look, 
Christian,  see  what  a  beautiful  spectacle  !  Have  you  al- 
ready beheld  this  phenomenon?" 

"No,  not  yet,"  cried  Christian,  transported  with  joy  ; 
"and  I  am  very  glad  to  see  it  in  your  company.  I  have 
heard  of  it,  and  that  is  all ;  it  is  a  magnificent  parhelion  ! " 

In  fact,  five  suns  were  rising  above  the  horizon.  The 
true,  the  powerful  star  of  day  was  accompanied  to  the 
right  and  left,  and  on  either  side  of  its  radiant  disk,  by 
four  luminous  images,  not  so  brilliant,  and  not  so  round 
as  the  real  sun,  but  surrounded  by  rainbo'w-hued  halos 
of  marvellous  beauty.  As  our  hunters  were  riding 
towards  the  west,  they  stopped  for  several  moments  to 
enjoy  this  optical  effect,  which  is  produced  by  very  much 
the  same  causes  as  the  rainbow,  although  it  is  scarcely 
ever  seen  in  Europe,  except  in  the  extreme  north. 

At  first  they  drove  along  a  broad  highway,  but  this 
soon  dwindled  into  a  narrow,  uneven  lane,  leading  through 
private  estates  ;  the  lane  turned  into  a  path,  and  then 
followed  the  open  country,  uncultivated  and  rugged,  with 
only  a  few  scarcely  perceptible  tracks  cut  into  the  snow 
along  the  hill-sides.  After  this,  Larrsou,  who  understood 
perfectly  both  the  country  and  the  capabilities  of  the 
sleigh  he  was  driving,  dashed  forward  into  a  really  ter- 
rific region,  over  the  bare  sides  of  the  mountain  ;  on  he 
went,  careering  along  the  very  edge  of  precipices,  slipping 
at  full  speed  into  the  bottom  of  almost  perpendicular 
ravines,  jumping  ditches  at  a  flying  leap,  shooting  over 
fallen  trees  and  tottering  rocks,  without  even  condescend- 
ing to  avoid  these  fearful  obstacles,  which  seemed  every 
moment  as  if  they  would  shiver  the  fragile  sleigh  into 
fragments.  Christian  did  not  know  whether  to  admire 
most  the  audacity  of  the  major  or  the  skill  and  courage 
of  the  thin  little  horse,  whose  marvellous  instinct  was  like 
a  sort  of  second  sight,  and  which  the  driver  accordingly 
allowed  to  go  its  own  way.  Twice,  however,  the  sleigh 
was  upset.  It  was  not  the  fault  of  the  horse,  but  of  the 
vehicle,  which  could  not  accommodate  itself  quickly 
enough  to  his  movements,  in  spite  of  its  ingenious  con- 
struction. These  overturns  are  sometimes  serious  ;  but 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


37' 


they  are  so  frequent  that  very  few  of  them,  in  compar- 
ison with  the  number  that  occur,  amount  to  anything. 
The  lieutenant's  sleigh,  although  he  was  warned  by  the 
accidents  befalling  the  party  in  advance,  as  they  cut  their 
way  through  the  ice,  was  also  upset  two  or  three  times. 
The  young  men  rolled  in  the  snow,  shook  themselves, 
replaced  the  sleigh  upon  its  runners,  and  started  again, 
without  thinking  anything  more  of  the  adventure  than  if 
they  had  got  out  to  lighten  the  load  of  the  horse  a  little. 
In  other  countries,  an  upset  makes  people  laugh  or  trem- 
ble ;  here,  it  is  accepted  quietly,  as  one  of  the  things  that 
are  anticipated  and  inevitable. 

Christian  experienced  a  feeling  of  unspeakable  content, 
of  inward  peace,  during  this  exciting  race. 

"  I  cannot  express  to  you,"  he  said  to  the  good  major, 
who  was  really  like  a  brother  in  his  kindness  and  devo- 
tion, "how  happy  I  am  to-day!" 

"  God  be  praised !  dear  Christian,  for  last  night  you 
were  melancholy." 

"It  was  the  darkness  that  made  me  so:  the  lake, 
whose  beautiful  covering  of  snow  had  been  soiled  by  the 
race,  and  which  'looked  like  a  mass  of  lead  under  our 
feet.  It  was  the  hogar,  lighted  by  torches  as  gloomy  as 
funereal  torches  gleaming  over  a  tomb.  It  was  that 
barbarous  statue  of  Odin,  which,  with  its  threatening 
hammer  and  its  formless  arm,  seemed  to  be  hurling 
down  some  mysterious  malediction  upon  the  new  world 
—  no  longer  subject  to  his  power  —  and  upon  our  profane 
band  !  The  whole  scene  was  beautiful,  but  yet  terrible  ; 
my  imagination  is  vivid,  and  then — " 

"And  then,  confess,"  said  the  major;  "something 
was  troubling  you." 

"  Perhaps  so  ;  a  dream,  a  foolish  fancy  which  the  re- 
turn of  the  sun  has  dissipated.  Yes,  major,  the  sun  ex- 
erts as  beneficent  an  influence  upon  the  spirit  of  man  as 
upon  his  body.  It  illumines  the  soul  as  well  as  the 
natural  world.  This  strangely  beautiful  and  fantastic 
gun  of  the  north  is  still  the  same  as  the  glowing  sun  of 
Italy,  and  the  mild  sun  of  France.  It  does  not  give  so 
much  heat,  but  I  imagine  that  it  gives  even  more  light 


372 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


than  elsewhere,  in  this  country  of  silver  and  crystal ! 
All  nature  is  its  mirror,  even  the  atmosphere,  in  these 
regions  of  immaculate  ice.  Blessed  be  the  sunshine ! 
Don't  you  agree  with  me,  major?  And  blessed  be  you, 
also,  for  bringing  me  with  you  on  this  revivifying  drive, 
which  inspires  and  strengthens  me.  Yes,  yes,  this  is  the 
life  that  suits  me  !  — movement,  air,  warmth,  cold,  light ! 
The  world  before  you,  a  horse,  a  sleigh,  a  ship  —  pshaw  ! 
still  less,  legs,  wings,  liberty  !  " 

"  You  are  a  strange  being,  Christian  !  For  my  part, 
I  should  prefer,  to  all  that,  a  woman  whom  I  loved." 

"Well,"  said  Christian,  "and  I  too,  perhaps !  lam 
not  strange  at  all ;  but  you  must  be  able  to  support  your 
family,  or  else  remain  a  bachelor.  What  Avould  you 
have  me  do  with  nothing?  Unable  to  dream  of  happi- 
ness, I  have  at  least  the  consolation  of  knowing  how  to 
forget  my  deprivations,  and  of  feeling  a  sincere  enthu- 
siasm for  the  austere  joys  that  are  within  my  reach.  Do 
not  talk  to  me  about  a  family,  and  the  corner  of  a  fire- 
side. Let  me  dream  of  the  free  wind  wafting  you  to- 
wards unknown  shores  —  I  know,  dear^  friend,  that  man 
is  made  to  love !  I  feel  it  deeply  at  this  very  moment,  by 
the  side  of  a  person  who  has  received  me  like  a  brother, 
and  whom  I  must  leave  to-morrow,  perhaps  forever ; 
but,  since  it  is  my  destiny  to  be  unable  to  establish  any 
ties,  in  any  place,  since  I  have  neither  country,  nor 
family,  nor  position  in  this  world,  the  whole  secret  of  my 
courage  lies  in  the  faculty  I  have  acquired "  of  enjoying 
happiness  on  the  wing,  and  of  forgetting  that  the  morrow 
will  inevitably  sweep  it  away  like  a  beautiful  dream. 
And  besides,  I  have  reflected  a  great  deal  since  AVG  drank 
our  punch  in  the  grotto  of  the  hogar." 

"Poor  fellow!  you  must  be  in  love,  for  you  have  not 
slept." 

"Whether  in  love  or  not,  I  slept  the  sleep  of  the  inno- 
cent ;  but  one  reflects  quickly  when  he  has  not  many 
hours  to  lose  in  life.  While  dressing  myself,  and  while 
coming  from  Stollborg  to  join  you,  I  was  deeply  im- 
pressed by  one  plain  and  simple  truth.  This  is  that  I 
have  made  a  mistake  in  trying  to  solve  the  problem  of 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


373 


the  wandering  artist's  career.  I  have  reasoned  like  a 
spoiled  child  of  civilization,  and  have  been  unwilling  to 
resign  the  enjoyments  of  the  sybarite.  But  let  me  ex- 
plain myself  more  clearly  —  " 

Christian,  now,  without  relating  the  material  facts  of 
his  life  to  the  major,  gave  him  a  brief  sketch  of  his  incli- 
nations, desires,  weaknesses,  and  the  progress  of  his 
moral  and  intellectual  life,  and  explained  to  him  how  it 
was  that  he  had  tried  to  become  an  artist,  so  that  he 
might  continue  to  devote  himself  actively  to  the  service 
of  science. 

"  Now,  my  dear  Osmund,"  he  added,  u  to  be  an  artist, 
you  must  be  that  and  nothing  else ;  you  must  sacrifice 
travels,  scientific  studies,  and  liberty  to  that  end.  In  my 
case,  since  I  have  not  been  willing  to  make  these  sacri- 
fices, why  should  I  not  content  myself  with  being  simply 
and  plainly  an  artisan  without  an  art,  such  as  any  man 
in  good  health  may  become  at  any  given  moment  of  his 
life  ?  I  want  to  study  the  entrails  of  the  earth  ;'  cannot 
I  become  a  miner,  for  a  month,  in  some  mine?  I  want 
to  study  the  flora  of  a  given  locality  and  zoology  ;  can  I 
not  engage  for  a  season  as  a  pioneer  or  huntsman  in  that 
region?  And  the  next  season,  can  I  not  push  on  further, 
living  in  poverty  in  the  meanwhile,  so  as  to  use  my  arms 
and  legs  for  advancing  my  knowledge,  instead  of  exhaust- 
ing my  mind  in  pasquinades,  for  the  sake  of  obtaining 
more  quickly  better  food  and  finer  clothes?  Have  I  not 
sufficient  moral  courage  to  work  with  my  hands,  so  as  to 
have  my  mind  at  liberty,  and,  in  a  modest  way,  produc- 
tive? I  have  thought  a  great  deal  about  the  life  of  your 
great  Linnaeus,  which  is  a  resume  of  the  history  of  almost 
all  the  scientific  men  of  our  period.  Poverty,  the  actual 
want  of  bread,  has  done  all  that  it  could  with  most  of 
them,  to  check  their  development,  and  compel  them  to 
leave  their  works  unknown  or  incomplete.  In  their  youth 
they  have  all  been  wanderers  like  myself,  anxious  about 
the  morrow,  with  no  other  hope  than  the  chance  of  meet- 
ing intelligent  patrons.  And  even  when  they  have  received 
some  benefit  —  a  bitter  thing  in  itself — how  often  have 
they  been  obliged  to  interrupt  their  pursuits,  in  order  to 


374  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

occupy  themselves  with  petty  duties,  which  are  conferred 
upon  them  as  a  favor,  but  which  consume  their  precious 
time,  and  prevent,  or  delay,  their  discoveries.  Very 
well,  why  did  they  not  do  what  I  am  proposing,  and 
what  I  intend  to  do ;  take  a  hammer  or  a  spade  over 
their  shoulders,  and  go  and  excavate  the  rock,  or  till  the 
soil?  What  do  I  want  with  books,  or  pen  and  ink? 
Why  should  I  be  so  eager  to  make  known  my  existence 
to  the  learned  world,  before  having  something  new  and 
really  interesting  to  communicate?  I  know  enough  now 
to  begin  to  learn,  that  is,  to  observe  and  study  Nature  for 
her  own  sake.  We  know  well  that  sublime  secrets  have 
been  wrested  from  the  very  elements,  as  it  were,  by  poor 
illiterate  workmen,  in  whom  God  had  planted,  like  a 
sacred  spark,  the  genius  of  observation.  And  do  you 
suppose,  Major  Larrson,  that  a  man  loving  nature  pas- 
sionately as  I  do,  would  lose  his  zeal  and  vigilance  be- 
cause obliged  to  eat  black  bread  and  sleep  upon  a  bed  of 
.straw?  In  observing  the  structure  of  the  rocks  and  the 
nature  of  the  soil,  might  he  not  seize  some  idea  that 
would  prove  useful  in  developing  and  improving —  stay, 
these  porphyry  rocks  which  surround  us,  or  these  uncul- 
tivated fields  which  we  are  crossing?  I  am  sure  that 
there  are  sources  of  wealth  everywhere,  that  man  will 
gradually  discover.  To  be  useful  to  all,  that  is  the  glo- 
rious ideal  of  the  artisan,  dear  Osmund ;  to  be  agreeable 
to  the  rich,  is  the  puerile  destiny  of  the  artist ;  and  I  es- 
cape from  it  with  joy." 

"•  What !  "  said  the  major,  astonished  ;  "  are  you  seri- 
ous, Christian,  in  wishing  to  renounce  the  agreeable  arts, 
in  which  you  excel,  the  refinements  of  life,  which,  with 
your  brilliant  gifts,  you  could  easily  command,  the  charms 
of  society,  where  it  only  depends  upon  yourself  to  reappear 
on  the  most  advantageous  and  agreeable  footing,  by  ac- 
cepting, employment,  as  a  superintendent,  we  will  say,  of 
some  court  entertainment?  You  have  only  to  desire  it, 
and  you  would  quickly  secure  powerful  friends,  who  could 
easily  make  you  the  manager  of  a  theatre,  or  the  director 
of  a  museum.  If  you  wish  —  my  family  is  noble,  and 
has  relations  —  " 


THE   SNOW  MAN, 


375 


"  No,  no,  major  !  Thanks  !  That  would  have  been 
well  enough  yesterday  morning;  I  was  still  a  child  then, 
seeking  his  road  while  playing  truant  from  school;  I 
should,  perhaps,  have  accepted  your  proposition.  The 
ball  had  led  me  back  to  the  old  life,  to  the  old  worldly 
vanities  to  which  I  have  already  too  often  yielded.  To- 
day I  am  a  man,  who  sees  where  duty  points  him.  I  do 
not  know  what  ray  has  penetrated  my  soul  with  this  morn- 
ing sunshine  —  " 

Christian  sank  into  a  revery.  He  asked  himself  what 
association  of  ideas  had  led  him  to  form  resolutions  so 
simple  and  energetic  ;  but  it  was  useless  for  him  to  ques- 
tion himself,  and  attribute  this  new  inspiration  entirely 
to  the  influence  of  a  good  night's  sleep  and  a  beautiful 
morning ;  one  image  constantly  arose  before  him,  that 
of  Margaret  hiding  her  face  in  her  hands  at  the  name  of 
Christian  Waldo.  That  stifled  cry,  breaking  from  her 
woman's  heart,  had  struck  the  proud  breast  of  Christian 
Goffredi.  It  had  lingered  in  his  ears,  it  had  filled  his 
soul  with  a  generous  shame,  with  a  sudden  and  inflexible 
courage. 

"  And  why,  let  me  ask  you,"  he  replied  to  the  major, 
who  reminded  him  how  fatiguing  and  tiresome  physical 
labor  is,  "  why  must  I  have  amusement  and  repose,  and 
be  exempted  from  any  sort  of  suffering?  Since  my  birth 
did  not  give  me  a  place  among  the  privileged  classes, 
what  have  I  to  depend  upon,  if  I  have  not  courage  enough 
to  make  an  honorable  position  for  myself?  Those  who 
gave  me  birth?  If  they  were  here  before  me  they  might 
very  well  reply,  that,  having  made  me  strong  and  healthy, 
they  had  no  idea  of  rendering  me  delicate  and  lazy,  aud 
that,  if  fine  carpets  to  walk  on  and  delicacies  to  eat  are 
really  indispensable  to  sustain  my  strength  and  keep  me  in 
good-humor,  it  had  been  quite  impossible  for  them  to  fore- 
see this  strange  and  absurd  contingency." 

"  You  are  laughing,  Christian,"  said  the  major ;  "  for 
life,  without  its  superfluities,  is  not  worth  the  trouble  of 
living.  Should  not  man's  aim  be  to  build  himself  a  nest 
with  care  and  foresight,  of  which  the  very  birds  set  him 
an  example  ?  " 


376 


THE   S.VOll'  MAX. 


"  Yes,  major,  it  should  be  the  aim  of  such  men  as  you, 
whose  future  is  linked  in  with  his  past.  But  there  is  noth- 
ing edifying  in  my  past  life,  and  when  I  became  an  inter- 
preter, as  M.  Goefle  calls  it,  do  you  know  what  the  real 
motive  was  that  influenced  me?  Most  assuredly,  though 
I  did  not  know  it  myself,  it  was  the  fear  of  what  is  called 
poverty.  Now,  such  a  fear  in  a  man  who  has  only  him- 
self to  care  for,  is  cowardly.  Only  think  how  absurd  a 
lamentation  on  that  score  would  sound  in  the  mouth  of 
a  man  so  well  formed  and  healthy  as  I  am  !  Stay ! 
imagine  one  of  my  marionettes  soliloquizing  ;  our  friend 
Stentarello,  for  instance,  speaking  in  all  artlessness : 
4  Alas,  miserable  me  !  three  times  unfortunate  !  I  can  no 
longer  sleep  in  sheets  of  the  finest  linen  !  Alas  !  I  can  no 
longer,  when  I  am  wrarm  in  Italy,  take  a  glass  of  vanilla 
ice  cream  ;  or,  when  I  am  cold  in  Sweden,  pour  first-class 
rum  into  my  tea  !  Alas  !  I  can  no  longer  dance  at  balls 
in  lavender-colored  silk  ;  no  more  lace  sleeves  to  set  off 
my  white  hand.  Miserable  me !  I  can  no  longer  cover 
my  hair  with  powder  scented  with  violet,  and  with  pomade 
scented  with  tuberose  !  Oh,  stars,  behold  my  deplorable 
destiny  !  So  pretty,  so  charming,  so  amiable  as  I  am,  and 
yet  I  can  have  no  more  preserves  served  in  china  plates ; 
no  more  moire  ribbons  to  tie  my  queue ;  no  more  gold 
buckles  to  my  shoes  !  Blind  fortune,  cursed  society  !  you 
certainly  owe  me  as  much  as  that,  and  to  Christian  Waldo 
too,  who  makes  his  marionettes  talk  and  gesticulate  so 
well.' " 

Larrson  could  not  help  laughing  at  Christian's  gayety. 

"  You  are  a  droll  fellow,"  he  said  ;  "  at  some  moments 
you  seem  to  me  paradoxical,  and  then  again  I  ask  myself 
whether  you  are  not  as  great  a  sage  as  Diogenes,  break- 
ing his  cup  so  as  to  drink  at  the  fountain-head  —  in  the 
brook  itself." 

"Diogenes!"  said  Christian,  "many  thanks!  That 
cynic  has  always  seemed  to  me  a  conceited  fool.  In 
any  event,  if  he  was  really  a  philosopher,  and  wished  to 
prove  to  the  men  of  his  time  that  it  is  possible  to  be 
happy  and  free  without  material  comforts,  he  forgot  the 
fundamental  principle  of  his  doctrine  :  namely,  that  no 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


377 


one  can  be  free  and  happy  Avithout  some  useful  employ- 
ment ;  a  truth  that  belongs  to  every  age.  To  limit 
yourself  to  the  bare  necessities  of  life,  so  as  to  devote 
time  and  strength  to  a  generous  task,  cannot  be  called  a 
sacrifice  ;  it  is  conquering  your  own  self-respect,  securing 
the  peace  of  your  soul.  But,  without  this  aim,  stoicism 
is  mere  foolishness  ;  the  doctrine  that  people  should  do 
nothing  but  amuse  themselves,  is  certainly  much  more 
sensible  and  agreeable." 

While  talking  thus,  our  hunters  came  in  sight  of  the 
rustic  abode  where  they  were  expected.  It  fitted  in  so 
well  Avitli  the  natural  terraces  of  the  mountain,  that,  but 
for  the  smoke  escaping  from  the  chimney,  it  would  have 
been  difficult  to  distinguish  it  at  any  distance. 

"You  are  about  to  see  a  very  worthy  man,"  said  the 
major  to  Christian,  "  a  type  of  Dalecarlian  simplicity 
and  pride.  There  is,  however,  a  very  disagreeable  per- 
son in  his  house,  but  perhaps  we  shall  not  see  her 
to-day." 

"So  much  the  worse!"  answered  Christian;  "I  am 
curious  about  all  the  people,  as  well  as  about  all  the 
things  in  this  strange  country.  Who  is  this  disagreeable 
person  ?  " 

"A  sister  of  the  danneman,  an  old  woman,  either  an 
idiot  or  crazy,  who  is  said  to  have  been  beautiful  in 
former  years,  and  about  whom  they  tell  all  sorts  of 
queer  stories.  It  is  said  that  she  had  a  child  by  Baron 
Olaus,  and  that  the  baroness,  his  wife  (the  same  whom 
he  now  wears  in  a  ring),  out  of  retrospective  jealousy, 
had  the  child  carried  off  and  destroyed.  This  may  be 
the  cause  of  the  poor  woman's  unsettled  mind.  How- 
ever, I  can't  guarantee  the  truth  of  the  story,  and  I  feel 
very  little  interest  in  a  creature  who  could  allow  herself 
to  be  vanquished  by  the  charms  of  the  Snow  Man.  She 
is  sometimes  very  tiresome  with  her  songs  and  sayings, 
and  then  again  she  is  either  invisible  or  mute.  I  hope 
this  will  be  the  case  to-day.  But  here  we  are.  Go  in 
quickly  and  warm  yourself,  while  the  corporal  and  lieu- 
tenant unpack  our  provisions." 

The    danneman,    Joe    Boetsoi,    was   standing    at    his 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 

threshold.  He  was  a  fine  man,  of  some  forty-five  years, 
with  hard  features,  contrasting  strangely  with  his  kindly 
and  straightforward  expression.  He  was  dressed  with 
great  neatness,  and  he  came  forward  rather  slowly,  with 
his  hat  on  his  head,  an  air  of  simple  dignity,  and  his 
hand  extended. 

"Welcome  !  "  he  said  to  the  major  ;  "thy  friends  are 
mine."  The  Dalecarlian  peasant  addresses  every  one, 
even  the  king  himself,  in  the  second  person. 

He  turned  immediately  to  the  other  young  men,  and 
shook  hands  with  Christian,  Osburn,  and  the  corporal. 

"I  was  expecting  you,"  he  said,  "  and  yet  you  must 
not  expect  to  find  much  in  my  house  in  the  way  of  food. 
You  know,  Major  Larrson,  that  the  country  is  poor ; 
but  all  that  I  have  is  at  the  disposition  of  yourself  and 
friends." 

"Don't  put  yourself  out  at  all,  Danneman  Bcetsoi," 
replied  the  major;  "if  I  had  come  alone,  I  should 
have  asked  for  some  of  your  gruel  and  bier ;  but,  since 
I  have  brought  three  of  my  friends  with  me,  I  laid  in  a 
stock  of  provisions  beforehand,  so  as  not  to  cause  you 
any  inconvenience." 

A  discussion  in  Dalecarlian  followed,  between  the 
officer  and  the  peasant ;  Christian  did  not  understand  it, 
but  the  lieutenant  explained  it  to  him  as  they  opened  the 
baskets. 

"  We  very  wisely  brought  our  own  provisions,"  he 
said,  "  so  as  to  have  a  decent  breakfast  in  this  hut ;  but 
the  worthy  peasant,  though  excusing  himself  for  having 
nothing  good  to  offer  us,  has  really  gone  to  some  expense 
for  our  entertainment,  and  it  is  easv  to  see,  from  his 
long  face,  that  he  feels  wounded  by  our  precaution, 
which  seems  to  him  to  cast  a  doubt  upon  his  hospitality." 

"In  that  case,"  said  Christian,  "do  not  let  us  mor- 
tify this  honest  man  ;  let  us  keep  our  provisions,  and 
eat  what  he  has  prepared  for  us.  His  house  seems  clean, 
and  here  are  his  daughters,  ugly  enough,  it  is  true,  but 
very  elegant,  and  all  ready  to  wait  upon  the  table." 

"  Suppose  we  make  a  compromise,"  replied  the  lieu- 
tenant. ."We  will  have  everything  served  in  common, 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


379 


and  invite  the  family  to  accept  our  food,  at  the  same 
time  that  we  take  theirs.  I  will  go  and  propose  that  to 
the  danneman  —  always  if  the  major  approves." 

The  lieutenant  never  formed  any  resolution  whatever 
without  this  restriction. 

The  major  approved  of  the  proposition,  and  made  it 
himself  to  the  danneman,  who  accepted  it,  although  he 
still  seemed  a  little  dissatisfied. 

"So,"  he  said,  with  an  uneasy  smile,  "it  will  be  like 
a  wedding-feast,  where  each  one  brings  his  own  dish." 

At  any  rate,  he  accepted ;  but,  in  spite  of  Christian's 
hints,  they  did  not  even  suggest  inviting  the  women 
to  sit  down.  This  was  too  much  opposed  to  established 
customs ;  the  young  officers  would  have  been  afraid  of 
appearing  ridiculous  in  proposing  to  the  danneman  such 
a  great  infraction  of  his  dignity  as  head  of  the  family. 

While  they  were  unpacking  on  the  one  hand,  and  talk- 
ing on  the  other,  Christian  examined  the  house  within 
and  without.  It  was  the  same  sort  of  building  that  he 
had  already  noticed  in  the  gaard  at  Stollborg :  the  body 
of  the  house  was  made  of  pine  logs,  well  caulked  Avith 
moss,  and  painted,  on  the  outside,  of  an  iron-rust  red  ; 
the  roof  was  of  birch-bark,  overlaid  with  earth  and  turf. 
As  there  was  danger  that  the  snow,  which  was  very 
plentiful  in  this  mountainous  region,  would  break  down 
the  roof,  it  had  been  carefully  swept  off,  and  the  danne- 
man's  goat,  a  third  larger  than  the  same  animal  in 
southern  countries,  Avas  uttering  a  plaintive  bleating  at 
the  sight  of  the  fresh  grass  thus  disclosed  to  vieAv. 

It  Avas  so  warm  within  doors,  that  the  young  men 
threw  off  their  pelisses  and  hats,  and  went  about  in  their 
shirt-sleeves.  Although  substantial  and  spacious  in 
comparison  Avith  a  great  many  habitations  in  the  locality, 
this  house  was,  nevertheless,  quite  small ;  but  its  form 
Avas  elegant,  and  the  outside  porch,  over.Avhich  the  edge 
of  the  roof  projected,  gave  it  the  comfortable  and  pic- 
turesque appearance  of  a  Swiss  chalet.  One  single 
room,  protected  from  the  cold  by  a  narroAV  vestibule, 
proved  sufficient  for  the  whole  family,  Avhich  consisted  of 
the  danneman,  who  was  a  widower,  his  sister,  a  son  fifteen 


38o 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


years  old,  and  two  daughters  somewhat  older.  The 
stove  was  in  the  form  of  a  cylinder,  and  was  built  of 
Dutch  bricks,  four  feet  high  ;  the  chimney  was  attached 
to  it,  and  the  whole  stood  in  the  centre  of  the  house. 
The  bare  ground,  instead  of  a  carpet,  was  covered  with 
pine-boughs,  that  exhaled  an  agreeable  and  healthful 
odor. 

Christian  wondered  where  all  the  family  slept,  for  he 
saw  only  two  beds  in  recesses  in  the  wall,  like  berths  in 
a  ship.  His  friends  explained  to  him  that  these  were 
the  beds  of  the  danneman  and  his  sister.  The  children 
slept  on  benches,  with  no  other  covering  than  fur  cloaks. 

"In  other  respects,"  said  the  major  to  Christian,  who 
inquired  curiously  about  all  their  habits,  u  though  they  are 
faithful  to  the  rude  customs  of  our  mountaineers  of  pure 
race,  you  will  find,  also,  that  they  have  luxuries  of  their 
own,  due  to  the  labors  of  our  host  and  the  plentiful- 
ness  of  game  in  these  savage  places.  I  told  you  that 
Danneman  Boetsoi  was  a  skilful  and  experienced  hunter  ; 
but  you  must  know  that  he  is  skilful  not  only  in  track- 
ing savage  beasts,  but  also  in  killing  them  Avithout  dam- 
aging their  skins,  and  in  preparing  and  preserving  their 
precious  remains.  We  always  apply  to  him  when  we 
want  a  good  and  handsome  article  at  a  fair  price  :  skins 
of  the  sucking  doe,  for  instance,  which,  for  the  summer, 
make  the  coolest  and  most  delicious  bed  in  the  Avorld, 
and  which  wash  like  linen ;  skins  of  the  long-haired 
black  bear,  for  lining  sleighs  ;  and  seal-skin  cloaks,  im- 
previous  to  the  rain,  to  the  snow,  and,  above  all,  to 
the  interminable  autumn  fogs,  which  are  exceedingly 
penetrating  and  unhealthy.  Still  further,  he  has  rarities 
and  even  curiosities  in  the  way  of  furs  to  dispose  of, 
for  Joe  Boetsoi  has  travelled  a  great  deal  in  still  colder 
regions  than  this,  and  he  is  in  communication  with  hunt- 
ers, who  send  Jiim  the  objects  of  his  traffic  by  wandering 
Laplanders  and  Norwegian  traders ;  northern  caravans, 
in  which  the  camel  is  replaced  by  the  reindeer,  and  whose 
trade,  for  the  most  part,  consists  merely  in  an  exchange 
of  commodities,  after  the  manner  of  the  ancients." 

Christian  was  curious  to  see  these   furs.     The   danne- 


THE   SNOW  MAN.  381 

man,  thinking  he  wanted  to  purchase  some  of  them,  led 
him  and  the  major  to  a  little  shed,  where  the  skins 
were  hanging  up.  He  begged  Larrson  to  dispose  of  one 
or  all  of  them  to  the  satisfaction  of  his  friend,  and  would 
not  consent  to  be  informed  of  the  price  of  sale  agreed 
upon,  before  receiving  it. 

"  You  understand  the  business  as  well  as  1  do,"  he 
said,  "  and  you  are  master  in  my  house." 

Osmund  translated  these  words  to  Christian,  who  ad- 
mired the  simple  dignity  of  the  Dalecarlian,  and  inquired 
whether  he  would  show  equal  confidence  in  any  one  who 
might  claim  his  hospitality. 

"He  has  usually  a  great  deal  of  faith,"  replied  the 
major,  "  for  the  manners  here  are  patriarchal.  The  Dale- 
carlian, the  Swiss  of  the  north,  has  great  and  heroic  virtues, 
but  the  country  he  lives  in  is  poor.  Our  mines  draw  vag- 
abonds from  all  parts  of  the  country ;  and  criminals,  con- 
cealed in  this  subterranean  world,  often  avoid,  for  a  long 
time,  the  punishments  pronounced  against  them  in  other 
provinces.  The  peasant,  when  he  is  neither  a  landowner 
nor  employed  in  the  mines,  is  so  wretchedly  poor,  that  he 
is  sometimes  obliged  to  beg  or  to  steal.  And  yet  the  num- 
ber of  malefactors  is  infinitely  small  in  comparison  to  that 
of  persons  without  means,  whom  the  privileged  classes 
absolutely  ignore.  The  rich  peasant,  therefore,  cannot 
confide  in  all  chance  comers,  nor  does  he  feel  the  slightest 
faith  in  the  nobility,  who  vote  regularly  in  the  Diet  for 
their  own  interests,  in  opposition  to  those  of  the  other 
classes ;  but  the  soldier,  above  all  the  members  of  the 
indelta,  is  the  friend  of  the  peasant.  We  are  the  most 
independent  power  in  the  State,  since  the  law  secures  us 
a  sufficient  and  honorable  support  in  spite  of  every  op- 
posing influence.  It  is  well  known  that  we  are  generally 
devoted  to  the  king,  when  he  sustains  the  people  and  pro- 
tects them  against  the  abuses  of  the  nobility.  This  is  his 
only  course  with  us,  and  the  peasant,  Avho  makes  common 
cause  with  him,  cannot  be  deceived.  Have  patience,  Chris- 
tian ;  a  time  will  come  when  the  senate  will  be  obliged  to 
settle  accounts  with  the  bourgeois  and  peasant !  Our 
king  dares  not.  Our  queen,  Ulrica,  is  bold  enough,  but 


382  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

would  the  sister  of  Frederick  the  Great  pause  on  the  road 
if  she  could  once  succeed  in  subduing  the  pride  and  ambi- 
tion  of  the  iarls?  I  doubt  it.  She  would  think  only  of 
extending  the  royal  power,  without  admitting  that  the 
people  also  ought  to  be  allowed  more  freedom.  Our  hope, 
therefore,  is  in  Henry,  the  prince  royal.  He  is  a  man  of 
genius  and  a  man  of  action  !  Yes,  yes  !  A  time  will 
come  — .  But  pardon  me  !  I  am  forgetting  that  you 
want  to  look  at  furs,  and  that  you  can  scarcely  feel  any 
interest  in  the  politics  of  our  country  ;  however,  you  may 
rest  assured  that  the  prince  royal  — " 

"  Yes,  yes,  the  prince  royal ! "  repeated  the  lieutenant, 
who  had  followed  the  major  and  Christian  under  the  shed. 

He  paused  with  a  thoughtful  expression,  being,  in  fact, 
busy  in  learning  the  memorable  words,  which  his  friend 
had  just  uttered,  by  heart,  so  that  he  might  form  a  definite 
opinion  about  the  situation  of  his  country.  He  would 
have  been  rather  indifferent  upon  this  subject  if  he  had 
consulted  the  apathetic  philosophy  that  was  natural  to 
him  ;  but  the  major  had  an  opinion,  and  the  lieutenant, 
therefore,  must  have  one  too,  and  he  could  not,  of  course, 
differ  from  his  friend.  Consequently  he,  also,  felt  un- 
bounded hope  and  confidence  in  the  genius  of  the  prince 
royal.  Were  both  he  and  Larrson  mistaken?  Henry 
(the  future  Gustavus  IH.)  had  many  remarkable  and 
most  seductive  qualities  ;  he  was  learned,  eloquent,  cour- 
ageous, and  certainly,  in  the  beginning  of  his  career,  sincere, 
and  ambitious  of  doing  good  ;  but  he,  like  Charles  XII., 
and  so  many  others,  was  destined  to  yield  to  the  dominion 
of  his  own  passions,  which  warred  against  his  desire  to 
promote  the  public  weal.  After  saving  Sweden  from  an 
overbearing  oligarchy,  he  did  his  best  to  ruin  it  by  a 
blind  ostentation  and  the  false  calculations  of  a  corrupt 
policy.  Still,  he  was  a  great  man  at  a  given  moment  of 
his  life,  when,  without  shedding  a  drop  of  blood,  he  suc- 
ceeded in  freeing  his  people  from  the  tyranny  of  a  caste, 
irresistibly  tempted  by  its  privileges  to  destroy  the  equilib- 
rium of  society. 

Christian,  from  all  that  he  had  been  able  to  gather  as 
to  the  situation  of  the  country,  and  the  presumed  character 


THE   SNOW  MAN.  383 

of  the  future  heir  of  the  throne,  shared  fully  the  major's 
hopes -and  illusions  ;  but,  nevertheless,  he  was  still  more 
occupied  for  the  moment,  not  in  purchasing  the  lining  for 
a  wiuter  garment  —  he  could  not  afford  any  such  luxury — 
but  in  examining  the  skins  of  animals  piled  up  around 
him  in  the  danneman's  little  store.  In  regard  to  several 
species  this  was  a  lesson  for  him  in  natural  history  ;  and 
Larrson,  who  was  a  thoroughly  accomplished  hunter,  in- 
formed him  in  what  regions  of  the  north  these  species 
were  indigenous. 

"  Since  we  shall  set  out  immediately  to  hunt  our  bear," 
he  said,  in  conclusion,  "you  ought  to  know  beforehand 
what  sort  of  animal  we  are  to  deal  with.  According  to 
Danneman  Bcetsoi  it  is  a  mongrel,  but  it  is  yet  to  be  proved 
that  the  different  varieties  of  the  bear  can  breed  together. 
There  are  three  of  them  in  Norway  :  the  bress-diur,  which 
Jives  upon  leaves  and  herbs,  and  which  is  very  fond  of 
milk  and  honey ;  the  ildgiersdiur,  which  eats  meat ;  and 
the  myrebiorn,  which  feeds  upon  ants.  As  for  the  white 
bear  of  the  polar  seas,  which  is  a  fourth,  and  still  more 
powerful  family,  I  need  not  tell  you  that  it  is  not  found 
among  us." 

"  And  yet,"  said  Christian,  "  here  are  two  skins  of 
polar  bears  which  seem  to  me  as  precious  as  any  articles 
in  the  dauneman's  collection.  Has  he  been  as  far  as  the 
Polar  Sea  on  his  hunting  expeditions  ?  " 

"It  is  quite  possible,"  replied  the  major  ;  "at  any  rate, 
he  has  business  relations,  as  I  told  you,  with  parties  in 
the  extreme  north.  It  is  quite  a  customary  thing  for  him 
to  travel  two  hundred  leagues  in  his  sleigh,  in  the  middle 
of  winter,  to  trade  and  exchange  commodities  with  hunt- 
ers, who,  upon  their  side,  have  come  just  as  far  on  their 
skates,  or  with  their  reindeers,  to  meet  him  at  the  appointed 
place.  He  claims  now  that  he  is  going  to  show  us  the 
mongrel  of  a  white  and  black  bear,  because  the  creature's 
fur  seemed  to  him  mixed  ;  but  as  he  only  saw  him  at  night, 
by  the  light  of  the  aurora  borealis,  which  is  very  deceptive, 
we  can't  be  sure  about  it.  The  bear  is  so  shy  and  dis- 
trustful that  very  little  is  known  about  him,  even  in  our 
country,  where  he  was  found  in  great  numbers  a  hundred 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 

years  ago,  and  where  he  is  still  quite  common.  It  is  not 
really  known  whether  the  parti-colored  bear  is  a  mongrel 
or  a  distinct  species.  Some  believe  that  the  white  fur 
is  produced  by  the  cold  of  winter,  and  that  the  spotted 
coat,  therefore,  is  either  the  beginning  or  the  termination 
of  an  annual  transformation,  while  others  assert  that  the 
white  bear  retains  his  color  at  all  seasons  ;  but  you,  Chris- 
tian, are  probably  more  familiar  than  myself  with  all 
these  matters.  You  have  read  so  many  works  that  I  only 
know  by  name  —  " 

"  It  is  for  that  very  reason  that  I  am  utterly  unable  to 
solve  your  doubts.  Buffbn  contradicts  Wormsius  flatly 
about  the  bear  ;  and  all  our  learned  historians  contradict 
each  other  in  all  their  statements,  which  does  not  prevent 
them  from  contradicting  themselves.  It  is  not  really  their 
fault,  for  most  of  the  laws  of  nature  are  still  unsolved 
enigmas.  When  we  know  so  little  about  animals  living 
upon  the  surface  of  the  globe,  only  think  what  secrets 
must  be  enclosed  in  the  bowels  of  the  earth  itself!  That 
is  what  made  me  say,  a  little  while  ago,  that  it  is  in  the 
power  of  any  man,  no  matter  how  insignificant,  to  make 
immense  discoveries.  But  let  us  return  to  our  bear,  or 
rather  let  us  make  haste  with  breakfast,  so  that  we  can 
go  and  find  him.  I  have  only  one  fault  to  find  with  the 
Swedes,  dear  friend,  and  that  is  that  they  have  too  many 
meals,  and  spend  too  much  time  over  them.  I  could  un- 
derstand it  better  if  your  days  were  twenty  hours  long ; 
but  when  I  see  how  small  an  arc  of  the  circle  the  sun  has 
to  pass  even  now,  before  again  sinking  beneath  the  hor- 
izon, I  cannot  help  wondering  at  what  hour  you  propose 
to  hunt." 

"Patience,  dear  Christian,"  replied  the  major,  laugh- 
ing ;  "  a  beai'-hunt  does  not  last  long.  It  is  a  single  blow, 
whether  it  succeeds  or  fails ;  either  you  lodge  two  balls 
in  your  enemy's  head,  or,  with  a  stroke  of  his  paw,  he 
disarms  and  overpowers  you.  But  here  is  the  danneman 
coming  to  announce  breakfast.  Let  us  go  in." 

The  repast  brought  by  the  officers  was  capital ;  but 
Christian  saw  plainly  that  the  young  girls,  and  the  dan- 
nemnn  himself,  were  sadly  mortified  at  the  sight  of  all 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


385 


this  good  food,  and  that  after  looking  forward  with  delight 
to  offering  them  their  rustic  viands,  they  scarcely  ventured 
to  place  them  on  the  table.  Accordingly  he  made  it  a 
point  to  eat  of  these,  and  to  praise  them  ;  and,  indeed,  his 
politeness  cost  him  little,  for  the  danueman's  smoked  sal- 
mon and  fresh  game  were  excellent,  the  butter  made  of 
reindeer's  milk  was  delicious,  the  turnips  were  tender  and 
sweet,  and  the  sweetmeats  —  some  northern  berry  pre- 
served—  aromatic  and  refreshing.  Christian  did  not  like 
so  well  the  beverage  of  sour  milk,  which  was  handed 
round  in  pewter  pitchers ;  he  preferred  .the  light  wine 
made  from  a  different  sort  of  berry,  which  grows  in  the 
greatest  abundance  throughout  the  country,  and  which 
the  people  cook  and  preserve  in  a  thousand  ways.  But 
most  of  all,  he  admired  the  Christmas  cake  that  was 
brought  on  with  the  dessert,  and  which  had  been  made  ex- 
pressly for  the  danueman's  guests,  so  that  they  might  be 
able  to  cut  it ;  for  custom  required  that  the  cake  reserved 
for  the  family  should  remain  untouched  until  Twelfth 
Night.  The  danneman  thrust  his  knife  resolutely  into 
this  luxurious  edifice,  made  of  wheaten  flour,  and  tumbled 
down  without  mercy  the  little  towers  and  clocks  which 
his  daughters  had  so  skilfully  constructed.  These  young, 
persons,  tall,  large,  and  with  dark  complexions,  were  not 
at  all  pretty,  but  their  figures  were  good,  and  they  were 
very  coquettishly  dressed,  making  a  great  display  of  rib- 
bons, jewels,  and,  above  all,  of  white  linen  and  black 
braids.  It  was  only  after  the  cake  was  cut  that  they  par- 
took of  anything.  They  were  invited  then  to  take  a  piece 
of  the  cake,  and  to  moisten  their  lips  from  their  father's  gob- 
let, after  he  had  filled  it  with  strong  beer.  They  remained 
standing,  and,  before  drinking,  made  a  deep  courtesy  to 
the  guests,  and  wished  them  the  compliments  of  the  season. 
Christian  usually  became  very  impatient  at  table  when 
he  had  satisfied  his  hunger,  but  he  now  sank  into  a 
profound  revery.  His  companions  were  quite  noisy,  al- 
though they  had  abstained  from  wine  and  brandy,  in  the 
fear  of  being  overcome  by  intoxication  when  the  time 
came  for  starting  on  the  hunt.  The  danneman,  who  was 
at  first  reserved  and  rather  haughty,  became  more  demon- 

25 


386 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


strative,  and  seemed  to  have  conceived  a  peculiar  sym- 
pathy for  the  stranger ;  but  this  man,  who  understood  all 
the  Northland  dialects,  and  even  Finnish  and  the  Russian 
of  Archangel,  could  speak  Swedish,  his  native  language, 
only  with  extreme  difficulty.  Christian,  with  his  curios- 
ity and  habitual  facility,  was  already  trying  to  understand 
Dalecarlian  ;  but  even  with  the  help  of  the  narrator's 
pantomime,  he  could  only  follow  vaguely  the  interesting 
accounts  of  hunts  and  travels  called  for,  and  eagerly  lis- 
tened to,  by  the  other  guests. 

Fatigued  by  the  efforts  he  was  obliged  to  make  in  lis- 
tening, and  by  the  excessive  heat  of  the  room,  Christian 
left  the  table  and  moved  away  from  the  stove.  He  went 
to  the  window  and  gazed  at  the  sublime  scenery  surround- 
ing the  chalet,  which  stood  on  the  edge  of  a  deep  gran- 
itic gorge,  whose  black  precipitous  sides,  glittering  with 
frozen  waterfalls,  plunged  steeply  down  to  the  bed  of  a 
torrent.  The  uncultivated  meadows  above  the  abyss  had 
such  a  rapid  slope  in  many  places,  that  their  shroud  of 
snow  had  been  blown  off  by  sudden  gusts  of  wind,  which 
had  thus  left  exposed  to  the  sun  the  green  turf  beneath, 
lightly  powdered  with  frost,  and  brilliant  as  a  carpet  of 
jiale  emeralds.  This  remnant  of  tender  verdure,  victori- 
ous over  the  fi'ost,  was  the  more  striking  because  of  its 
contrast  wjth  the  gloomy  green,  almost  like  black,  of  the 
gigantic  pines,  which  stood  crowded  together,  erect  as 
monuments  of  the  abyss,  and  hung  with  fringes  of  ice- 
diamonds.  Those  growing  in  the  crevices  where  the 
snow  had  accumulated,  were  buried  in  it  half  way  up 
their  trunks,  and  these  trunks  were  sometimes  a  hundred 
and  sixty  feet  high.  Their  branches,  too  heavily  laden 
with  ice,  hung  down ;  and,  stiff  as  the  flying  buttresses 
of  Gothic  cathedrals,  were  welded  into  the  snow  beneath. 
Upon  the  horizon  arose  the  sharp  peaks  of  Sevenberg, 
their  rosy  crests,  the  abode  of  eternal  snows,  resting  upon 
a  sky  of  amethyst.  It  was  about  eleven  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  and  the  sun  was  already  searching  with  his  rays 
the  blue  depths,  which,  when  the  party  reached  their  des- 
tination, had  still  been  enveloped  in  the  cold  and  gloomy 


THE   SNOW  MAN.  387 

shadow  of  the  night.  Every  instant  Christian  saw  them 
gleaming  with  changing  hues,  like  those  of  an  opal. 

Every  artist  who  has  been  a  traveller,  has  always  re- 
marked the  beauty  of  snow-landscapes  in  those  regions 
which  are,  as  it  were,  their  favorite  haunts.  In  the 
south,  the  snow  is  never  seen  in  all  its  glory  ;  it  is  only 
in  exceptional  localities,  and  on  rare  days,  when  it  resists 
the  sunshine,  that  we  can  form  any  idea  of  the  splendor 
of  its  hues  in  other  regions,  and  of  the  peculiar  transpar- 
ency of  the  shadows  that  float  over  its  white  masses. 
Christian  was  seized  with  enthusiasm.  While  comparing 
the  relative  comfort  of  the  cottage  (a  comfort  altogether 
excessive  as  regards  heat)  with  the  solemn  severity  of  the 
spectacle  without,  he  began  to  dream  about  the  life  of  the 
danneman,  and  to  form  a  picture  of  it  in  his  imagination, 
until  it  actually  seemed  to  him  his  own  life ;  until  he  be- 
gan to  imagine  that  he  was  in  his  own  house,  his  own 
country,  his  own  family. 

There  is  no  one  of  us  who,  at  one  time  or  another, 
when  vividly  impressed  by  some  combination  of  outward 
scenery  or  circumstance,  has  not  fallen  into  one  of  those 
strange  reveries,  in  which  our  life  seems  double  ;  when  we 
behold  the  scene  before  us  not  only  for  what  it  is,  but  also  — 
like  an  object  reflected  in  a  mirror  —  as  the  reflection  of 
some  picture  already  imprinted  upon  the  mind.  We 
imagine  that  we  have  already  trod  the  road  we  are  pass- 
ing ;  that  we  have  already  known,  in  a  previous  phase  of 
our  existence,  the  persons  we  are  meeting ;  that*  we  have 
fallen  back  into  some  scene  of  the  past  in  which  we  have 
already  lived.  This  sort  of  hallucination  of  the  memory 
was  so  complete  in  Christian's  case,  that  it  seemed  to  him 
that  he  must  clearly  have  understood,  at  some  former 
period,  this  Dalecarlian  language,  which  he  had  just 
found  so  unintelligible.  While  listening  mechanically  to 
the  sweet  and  grave  speech  of  the  danneman,  he  began 
unconsciously  to  finish  his  sentences  before  he  had  uttered 
them,  and  to  give  them  a  meaning.  Suddenly  he  started 
up,  as  if  waking  from  a  trance,  and  laid  his  hand  heavily 
upon  the  major's  shoulder. 

"  I  understand  !  "  he  cried,  extremely  agitated  ;  "  it  is 


388 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


very  strange,  but  I  understand.  Did  not  the  danneman 
say  just  now  that  he  had  a  dozen  cows,  and  that  three  of 
them  had  become  so  wild  last  summer  that  he  could  not 
bring  them  back  to  his  house  in  the  autumn  ?  that  they 
were  lost,  and  that  he  had  been  obliged  to  shoot  one  of 
the  remaining  ones,  to  keep  it  from  running  away  like  the 
others  ?  " 

"  He  did  really  say  so,"  replied  the  major  ;  "  but  it  did 
not  occur  last  summer.  The  danneman  was  saying  that 
all  this  happened  twenty  years  ago." 

"No  matter,"  replied  Christian,  "  you  see  that  I  un- 
derstood almqst  everything.  How  do  you  explain  that, 
Osmund?" 

"  I  do  not  know.  But  I  am  not  so  much  surprised  as 
you  ;  it  is  the  result  of  your  incredible  facility  in  learning 
all  languages,  in  constructing  them,  and  explaining  them 
in  your  own  mind,  according  to  analogies  that  exist  be- 
tween them." 

"No,  that  was  not  the  process  through  which  my  mind 
passed  ;  it  came  to  me  like  a  reminiscence." 

"That,  again,  is  possible.  You  probably  studied,  in 
your  childhood,  a  quantity  of  things  of  which  you 
retain  a  confused  recollection.  Come,  try  it  again ; 
listen  to  what  those  young  girls  are  saying :  do  you 
understand  ?  " 

"No,"  said  Christian,  "it  is  over;  the  phenomenon 
has  ceased ;  I  cannot  understand,  now,  a  single  word 
they  say?' 

He  returned  to  the  window  to  listen  to  his  host, 
and  try  to  catch  once  more,  in  the  same  mysterious 
way,  the  meaning  of  what  was  said  ;  but  his  efforts  were 
useless.  His  confused  revery  was  dissipated,  and,  in 
spite  or  himself,  reason  and  real  impressions  resumed 
their  habitual  empire  over  his  mind. 

Soon,  however,  he  entered  into  another  train  of 
thought.  It  was  no  longer  a  fantastic  past  that  appeared 
to  him,  but  a  dream  of  the  future  logically  deduced  from 
the  resolutions  he  had  formed,  and  with  which  he  had 
entertained  the  major  only  an  hour  before.  He  *aw 
himself  dressed  like  the  danneman,  in  a  blouse  without 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


339 


sleeves,  worn  over  a  vest  with  long  and  narrow  sleeves, 
in  two  pairs  of  stockings,  the  inner  ones  of  wool  and 
those  outside  of  yellow  leather,  and  with  his  hair  cut 
square  on  his  forehead.  He  saw  himself  seated  near  his 
comfortable  stove,  relating  to  some  rare  visitor  stories  of 
his  expeditions  on  fields  of  floating  ice,  or  in  the  currents 
of  the  terrible  Maelstrom,  and  in  the  obscure  recesses  of 
Syltfield. 

In  this  peaceful  and  primitive  scene,  which  he  was 
imagining  as  the  frugal  recompense  of  his  travels  and 
labors,  he  naturally  tried  to  form  an  idea  of  the  com- 
panion who  would  be  associated  with  him  in  the  rustic 
occupations  of  his  maturity.  Christian  looked  atten- 
tively at  the  daughters  of  the  danneman,  but  these  mas- 
culine and  severe  creatures  were  not  sufficiently  beautiful 
to  make  the  idea  of  being  the  husband  of  one  of  them 
very  delightful.  Unless  he  could  sympathize  intellec- 
tually with  the  companion  of  his  life,  he  would  .have 
preferred  to  remain  a  bachelor.  In  spite  of  himself,  the 
phantom  of  Margaret  fluttered  into  his  dream  in  the 
form  of  a  blond  little  fee,  disguised  like  a  young  moun- 
taineer, and  prettier  in  her  white  chemise  and  green 
bodice  than  in  her  fine  hooped  skirt,  and  her  satin 
slippers.  But  this  fantastic  toilet  was  only  a  transient 
masquerade :  Margaret  was  a  figure  detached  from 
another  frame  ;  she  could  only  crdss  the  threshold  of  the 
chalet  with  a  smile,  and  disappear  in  the  blue  and  silver 
sleigh,  where  Christian  would  never  be  allowed  to  seat 
himself  by  her  side. 

"Go,  Margaret!"  he  said.  "What  are  you  doing 
here?  An  abyss  separates  us,  and  for  me  you  are  only 
a  vision  hovering  in  the  moonlight.  My  wife  will  be  a 
dull  reality  —  or  rather,  I  shall  have  no  wife  ;  I  will  be  a 
miner,  a  laborer,  or  a  wandering  merchant,  like  my 
host ;  and  will  work  for  twenty  years,  so  as  to  be  able  at 
last  to  build  my  nest  upon  the  point  of  one  of  these  rocks. 
Very  well,  when  I  am  fifty  years  old  I  will  settle  on 
some  magnificent  site,  and,  living  there  like  a  hermit, 
will  bring  up  some  abandoned  child,  who  will  love  me 
as  I  loved  Goffredi !  Why  not?  And  if,  in  the  mean- 


390 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


while,  I  have  discovered  something  useful  to  my  fellow- 
men,  shall  I  not  be  happy?" 

Thus  did  Christian  ponder  upon  the  problem  of  his 
destiny ;  but  however  humble  his  dream  of  happiness,  it 
faded  away  before  the  idea  of  solitude. 

"  What  is  the  meaning,"  he  said  to  himself,  "of  this 
longing  for  a  serious  love,  by  which  I  have  been  pos- 
sessed for  the  last  twenty-four  hours?  Hitherto,  I  have 
troubled  myself  but  little  about  the  morrow.  Come, 
can  I  not  apply  to  these  cravings,  to  these  cries  of  my 
heart,  the  good  and  sound  philosophy  which  I  opposed, 
in  talking  to  Osburne,  to  material  luxuries  and  comforts  ? 
If,  iu  my  project  of  reform,  I  can  forget  my  physical 
wants,  subject  myself  to  the  rudest  physical  hardships, 
can  I  not  also  impose  silence  upon  my  imagination,  and 
forbid  it  this  flattering  dream  of  happiness  ?  Why,  how 
now,  Christian !  Since  you  have  settled  and  decided 
that  you  have  no  peculiar  claims  to  happiness,  can  you 
not  accept  your  fate?  can  you  not  say  to  yourself: 
'What  I  have  to  do  is  not  to  breathe  the  perfume  of 
roses ;  it-is  to  walk  over  thorns  without  looking  behind 
me'?" 

Christian's  heart  was  torn  as  he  tried  to  form  this  res- 
olution, and  his  face  was  bathed  with  tears  ;  he  hid  it  in 
his  hands,  and  bowed  his  head,  as  if  asleep. 

"What,  Christian!"  cried  the  major,  rising  from  the 
table;  "is  this  the  moment  for  falling  asleep,  and  for 
you,  too,  the  most  eager  of  us  all  for  the  hunt?  Come 
and  drink  the  stirrup  cup,  and  let  us  start." 

Christian  started  up,  crying  bravo.  His  eyes  were 
wet,  but  his  smile  was  so  gay  that  no  one  dreamed  he  had 
been  weeping. 

"We  have  now  to  decide,"  resumed  the  major, 
"  which  of  us  shall  have  the  honor  of  making  the  first 
attack  upon  his  furred  majesty." 

"Don't  you  draw  lots,  and  leave  it  for  chance  to 
decide?"  said  Christian.  "I  thought  that  was  the  cus- 
tom." 

"So  it  is ;  but  you  entertained  and  interested  us  so 
much  last  evening,  that  we  have  been  asking  each 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


391 


other  what  we  could  do  for  you  in  return,  and  this  is 
the  conclusion  to  which  the  lieutenant  and  myself  have 
arrived,  with  the  consent  of  the  corporal,  whose  vote  is 
worth  just  as  much  as  ours :  we  will  draw  lots,  and 
the  lucky  one  will  have  the  pleasure  of  offering  you  the 
long  straw." 

"Upon  my  word  !"  said  Christian,  "I  am  really  very 
grateful  for  your  kindness.  I  thank  you  all  from  the 
bottom  of  my  heart,  my  excellent. friends  ;  but  it  is  quite 
possible  that  you  are  sacrificing  a  pleasure  that  I  am  not 
worthy,  to  appreciate.  I  have  not  claimed  to  be  an 
ardent  and  skilful  hunter.  I  am  only  a  curious  — " 

"Do  you  feel  any  timidity ?"  rejoined  the  major.  "If 
that  is  the  case  —  " 

"I  cannot  feel  any  timidity,"  replied  Christian,  "since 
I  don't  know  anything  about  the  dangers  of  this  hunt, 
and  I  do  not  consider  myself  such  a  coward  as  to  be  un- 
willing to  go  where  danger  of  any  kind  is  to  be  encoun- 
tered. I  repeat  that  I  have  no  sort  of  vanity  in  the 
matter  ;  I  have  never  performed  any  exploit  which  gives 
me  a  right  to  monopolize  a  triumph.  Can  you,  not  give 
me  a  place  which  will  make  all  our  chances  equal?" 

"That  is  impossible.  We  have  equal  chances  when 
we  draw  lots  ;  but  the  one  who  wins  must  take  the  lead." 

"Very  well,"  said  Christian,  "I  will  take  the  lead,  I 
will  start  the  game ;  but,  I  assure  you,  if  there  is  any 
one  here  iudiiFerent  to  killing  him  with  his  own  hand, 
it  is  myself;  in  fact,  I  should  much  prefer  having  time 
to  examine  the  action  and  walk  of  the  animal  while  he 
is  alive." 

"But  suppose  he  should  fly,  and  make  his  escape  before 
you  can  examine  him  ?  No  one  can  foresee  what  his  caprice 
will  be.  The  bear  is  usually  timid,  and,  for  the  most 
part,  in  case  of'  assault,  he  thinks  only  of  flight,  except 
when  he  is  wounded.  Be  advised  by  me,  Christian  ;  and 
if  you  really  care  to  see  anything  interesting,  undertake 
the  attack :  otherwise,  you  will  perhaps  only  sec  the 
dead  animal  after  the  combat ;  for  it  seems  that  he  is 
intrenched  in  a  narrow  space,  behind  some  thick  bram- 
bles." 


392 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


"  Well  then,  I  accept  your  offer,"  said  Christian ; 
"and  I  promise  to  show  you  a  bear-hunt  this  evening, 
on  my  stage,  into  which  I  will  try  and  introduce  some- 
thing entertaining.  Yes,  really,  I  will  be  as  amusing  as 
possible,  in  proof  of  my  gratitude.  And  now,  major, 
tell  me  what  I  must  do,  and  what  is  the  best  method  for 
killing  a  bear  properly,  without  making  it  suffer  too 
much  ;  for  I  am  a  sentimental  hunter,  and  must  acknowl- 
edge that  I  am  not  in  the  slightest  degree  ferocious." 

'•What!"  rejoined  the  major,  "have  you  never  seen 
a  bear  killed  ?  " 

"  Never  !  " 

"  Oh !  then,  that  is  different ;  we  withdraw  our  prop- 
osition. No  one  here  wants  to  see  you  disabled,  dear 
Christian  !  Isn't  that  so,  comrades  ?  And  what  would 
Countess  Margaret  say,  if  we  should  carry  back  her  part- 
ner minus  a  leg?  " 

The  lieutenant  and  corporal  agreed  with  the  major, 
that  it  would  not  do  to  expose  a  novice  to  a  serious  en- 
gagement with  this  ferocious  beast ;  but  Margaret's  name, 
which,  to.  Christian's  great  regret,  had  been  pronounced 
as  associated  with  him,  had  set  his  heart  beating.  From 
that  moment  he  claimed  the  favor  that  had  been  granted 
him,  with  as  much  ardor  as  he  had  before  shown  modesty 
or  indifference  in  avoiding  it. 

"  If  I  should  happen  to  be  successful  in  killing  this 
bear  in  good  style,"  lie  thought,  u  this  barbarian  princess 
will  not  blush  so  deeply,  perhaps,  at  our  defunct  friend- 
ship ;  and  if  the  bear  kills  me  in  a  tragic  manner,  she 
may,  possibly,  shed  in  secret  a  tear  of  pity  over  the  fate 
of  the  poor  actor." 

When  the  major  saw  that  Christian  was  really  annoyed 
at  being  obliged  to  draw  lots,  he  persuaded  his  companions 
to  give  him  the  first  chance,  as  a  favor,  as  they  had  in- 
tended. But,  in  the  meanwhile,  he  went  up  to  the  dan- 
neman,  and  said  to  him,  in  his  own  language  : 

''  Friend,  since  in  your  character  of  guide  you  are  to  go 
in  advance  with  our  dear  Christian,  keep  close  to  him,  I 
implore  you.  It  is  his  first  trial." 

The  Dalecarlian  was   greatly  surprised,  and  could  not 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


393 


understand,  at  first,  what  the  major  meant ;  he  made  him 
repeat  the  warning,  and  then,  looking  at  Christian  at- 
tentively, shook  his  head. 

"  He  is  a  handsome  young  man,"  he  said,  "  and  he  has 
a  good  heart,  I  am  sure !  He  ate  my  Icakebroe  as  if 
lie  had  never  done  anything  else  all  his  life ;  he  has  Dal- 
ecarlian  teeth,  and  yet,  it  seems,  he  is  a  stranger !  He 
pleases  me.  I  am  sorry  that  he  cannot  talk  Dalecarlian 
with  me,  and  still  more  sorry  that  he  is  going  where  those 
more  skilful  than  either  he  or  myself  have  remained." 

The  kakebroe,  to  which  the  danneman  referred,  was 
neither  more  nor  less  than  the  ordinary  bread  of  the 
country,  which  was  made  of  rye,  oats,  and  pounded  bark. 
The  pulverized  birch-bark,  which  was  one  of  its  ingre- 
dients, made  it  very  hard,  even  when  fresh  ;  and  as  no  one 
cooks  in  this  country  more  than  twice  a  year  at  the  most, 
it  becomes,  when  dry  and  stale,  a  sort  of  flat  stone,  which 
strangers  find  very  difficult  to  masticate.  The  saying 
of  the  Danish  bishop  who  marched  against  the  Dalecar- 
lians  in  the  time  of  Gustavus  Wasa,  is  historical :  "  The 
devil  himself  cannot  get  the  better  of  people  .who  eat 
wood !  " 

As  the  danneman,  in  spite  of  his  enthusiasm  for  the 
heroic  mastication  of  his  stranger  guest,  did  not  seem  able 
to  answer  for  his  safety,  Larrson's  anxiety  was  renewed, 
and  he  again  attempted  to  dissuade  Christian.  The  dan- 
neman interrupted  him  by  begging  every  one  to  go  out, 
except  the  stranger.  They  guessed  his  intention,  and 
Larrsoti  explained  it  to  Christian. 

"  You  will  have  to  go  through  some  cabalistic  initia- 
tion," he  said  ;  "  I  told  you  that  our  peasants  believe  in 
all  sorts  of  influences  and  mysterious  divinities  ;  I  see  that 
the  danneman  will  not  guide  you  to  his  bear  with  any  con- 
fidence, until  he  has  rendered  you  invulnerable  by  a  for- 
mula or  talisman  of  some  sort.  Will  you  consent?" 

"  To  be  sure  I  will !  "  cried  Christian  ;  "  whatever  in- 
forms me  of  the  peculiarities  of  the  manners  and  customs 
of  a  people,  I  welcome  with  all  my  heart.  Leave  me 
alone  with  the  danneman,  dear  major,  and,  if  he  shows 
me  the  devil,  I  promise  to  describe  him  to  you  exactly." 


394 


THE   SNO  W  MAN. 


When  the  danueman  was  tete-a-tete  with  his  guest,  he 
took  his  hand,  and  said  in  Swedish  : 

"  Don't  be  afraid  !  " 

Then  he  conducted  him  to  one  of  the  two  beds  that 
stood  in  a  transverse  niche  at  the  end  of  the  room,  and 
called  three  times  :  "  Karine,  Karine,  Karine  ! "  after  which 
he  drew  aside  an  old  stained  leather  curtain,  and  disclosed 
to  view  an  angular  form,  and  a  face  of  alarming  pallor. 

It  was  an  aged  and  feeble  woman,  who  seemed  to  have 
great  difficulty  in  waking,  and  who,  with  the  danneman's 
assistance,  raised  herself  in  the  bed,  so  that  she  might 
look  at  Christian.  At  the  same  time,  the  danneman  re- 
peated his  warning : 

"  Don't  be  afraid  ! " 

"It  is  my  sister,"  he  added,  "whom  you  may  have 
heard  spoken  of ;  a  famous  seeress,  a  vala  of  the  old  times." 

The  old  woman,  whose  profound  slumber  had  not  been 
disturbed  by  the  noise  of  the  breakfast  and  conversation, 
seemed  trying  to  collect  her  ideas.  Her  livid  face  was 
calm  and  gentle.  She  held  out  her  hand,  and  the  danne- 
man placed  that  of  Christian  in  it ;  but  she  withdrew 
hers  instantly  with  a  sort  of  terror,  and  said  in  Swedish : 

"Mon  Dieu!  what  is  the  matter?  Is  it  you,  Monsieur 
Baron  ?  Pardon  me  for  not  rising.  I  have  had  so  much 
fatigue  in  my  poor  life  ! " 

"You  are  mistaken,  my  good  woman,"  replied  Chris- 
tian, "you  do-  not  know  me  ;  I  am  not  the  baron." 

The  danneman  addressed  his  sister  in  Dalecarlian,  and 
probably  to  the  same  effect,  for  she  replied  in  Swedish  : 

"  I  know  that  you  are  deceiving  me  ;  that  is  the  great 
iarl !  What  does  he  want  in  our  house  ?  Will  he  not 
let  her  sleep  who  has  watched  so  long?  " 

"  Do  not  pay  any  attention  to  her,"  said  the  danneman, 
addressing  Christian ;  "  her  mind  is  still  asleep,  and 
she  continues  her  dream.  Soon,  she  will  speak  sensibly." 

He  added,  in  Dalecarlian,  for  his  sister's  benefit : 

"  Come,  Karine,  look  at  this  young  man,  and  tell  him 
whether  he  must  go  with  me  to  hunt  the  ivicked  one  ?  " 

So  it  is  that  the  Dalecarliau  peasant  calls  the  bear, 
whose  name  he  is  extremely  reluctant  to  pronounce. 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


395 


Karine  hid  her  eyes  with  her  hand,  and  spoke  to  her 
brother  with  great  vivacity. 

"  Speak  in  Swedish,  since  you  know  Swedish,"  said 
Christian,  who  wanted  to  understand  the  practices  of  the 
.  seeress.  "I  beg  you,  good  mother,  to  tell  me  what  I 
am  to  do." 

The  seeress  closed  her  eyes  with  a  sort  of  obstinacy, 
and  said : 

"You  are  not  he  I  was  dreaming  about,  or  else  you 
have  forgotten  the  language  of  your  cradle.  Leave  me, 
both  of  you,  you  and  your  shadow ;  I  will  not  speak ; 
I  have  sworn  never  to  tell  what  I  know." 

"  Have  patience,"  said  the  danneman  to  Christian. 
"  She  is  always  so  at  first.  Beg  her  mildly,  and  she  will 
tell  your  fortune." 

Christian  renewed  his  petition,  and  the  seeress,  still 
concealing  her  eyes  with  her  pale  hands,  and  assuming 
a  poetic  style  which  seemed  learned  by  heart,  at  last 
replied : 

"  The  ravenous  one  howls  on  the  heath,  his  supports 
fail  him  ;  he  rushes  forth  !  —  he  rushes  towards  the  east, 
through  a  valley  full  of  poisons,  of  peat,  and  of  mud." 

"Does  that  mean  that  he  will  escape  us?"  said  the 
danneman,  who  listened  religiously  to  his  sister. 

"I  see  them  walking  through  noisome  torrents,"  she 
resumed,  "  the  perjurers  and  the  murderers !  Do  you 
understand  that  ?  Do  you  know  what  I  mean  to  say  ?  " 

"  No,  1  don't  understand  it  at  all,"  replied  Christian, 
who  recognized  a  refrain  of  the  ancient  Scandinavian 
songs  of  the  Voluspa,  and  who  thought  that  he  also  rec- 
ognized the  voice  heard  among  the  boulders  of  Stollborg. 

"  Do  not  interrupt  her,"  said  the  danneman.  "  Go 
on,  Karine  ;  we  are  listening." 

"I  saw  the  fire  burning  in  the  hall  of  the  rich,  but  be- 
fore the  door  stood  death." 

"Do  you  mean  that  for  this  young  man?"  inquired 
the  danneman. 

Without  seeming  to  hear  him,  she  continued : 

"  One   day,  in  a  field,  I  gave  my  garments  to  two 


396  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

wooden  men  ;  when  they  were  clothed  they  resembled 
heroes  :  the  naked  man  is  timid." 

"  There,  you  see  ! "  cried  Boetsoi,  looking  at  Christian 
with  an  air  of  simple  triumph  ;  "  now,  I  hope,  she  is 
speaking  clearly." 

"Do  you  think  so?" 

"  Of  course  I  think  so.  She  recommends  you  to  be 
well  clothed  and  well  armed." 

"  That  is  certainly  good  advice,  but  is  that  all?" 

"  Listen,  listen  !  she  is  going  to  speak  again,"  said  the 
dauneman. 

The  seeress  resumed : 

"  The  fool  thinks  he  will  live  forever  if  he  avoids  the 
combat ;  but  even  age  will  not  give  him"  peace :  the 
destroyer  comes  with  his  spear.  Do  you  understand  ?  Do 
you  know  what  I  mean  to  say  ?  " 

"  Yes,  yes,  Karine  !  "  cried  the  danneman,  now  quite 
satisfied.  "  You  have  spoken  well,  and  now  you  can  go 
to  sleep  again ;  the  children  will  watch  over  you,  and 
you  shall  not  be  troubled  again." 

"  Leave  me  then,"  said  Karine  ;  "  now,  the  vala  falls 
into  the  night" 

She  hid  her  face  in  the  bedding,  and  her  thin  body 
seemed  to  sink  and  disappear  in  her  mattress  of  eider- 
down, a  rich  present  which  had  been  made  her  by  the 
danneman,  who  regarded  her  with  the  utmost  veneration. 

"  I  hope  you  are  contented,"  he  said  to  Christian,  as 
he  took  a  long  cord  from  a  corner  of  the  room;  "  the 
prediction  is  good." 

"  Yes,  very  good,"  replied  Christian.  "This  time,  I 
understood.  Prudent  people  gain  nothing  by  hiding 
themselves ;  the  best  way  is  to  march  straight  on  the 
enemy.  Well  then,  forward,  my  dear  host !  But  what 
are  you  doing  with  that  cord?" 

"  Give  me  your  arm,"  replied  the  danneman. 

He  began  to  roll  the  cord  carefully  around  Christian's 
left  arm. 

" That  will  be  enough  to  amuse  the  wicked  one"  he 
said  ;  "  while  he  has  this  arm  in  his  claws,  with  your 
other  hand  you  will  rip  open  his  belly  with  this  spear. 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


397 


But  I  will  explain  what  you  must  do  as  we  go  along. 
You  are  ready  ;  let  us  start." 

"  Well,"  cried  the  officers,  who  were  awaiting  Christian 
in  the  vestibule  ;  "  shall  we  have  gopd  luck?" 

"For  my  part,"  said  Christian,  "it  seems  that  I  arn 
invulnerable  ;  but  I  am  afraid  the  bear  won't  be  so  well 
off.  The  seeress  said  that  he  would  fly  to  the  east." 

"  No,  no,"  replied  the  danneman,  whose  serious  and 
confident  manner  forbade  any  joking ;  "it  was  said  that 
the  ravenous  one  Avould  rush  towards  the  east,  but  not 
that  he  would  not  be  killed.  Forward  ! " 

Before  following  Christian  to  the  hunt,  we  will  return, 
for  some  moments,  to  the  chateau  de  Waldemora,  whence 
the  baron  ha*  started  with  all  his  able-bodied  male  guests, 
and  two  or  three  hundred  trackers,  immediately  after 
sunrise. 

The  place  towards  which  this  seignorial  battue  pro- 
ceeded, was  much  lower  down  on  the  mountain  than  the 
danneman's  cottage.  It  was  quite  accessible  to  the 
ladies,  who  all  went,  some  with  the  resolution  of  seeing 
the  bear-hunt  as  near  as  possible,  and  others,  loss  cour- 
ageous, promising  themselves  that  they  would  not  venture 
further  than  to  the  edge  of  the  wood.  Olga,  who  was 
eager  to  show  the  baron  that  she  was  interested  in  his 
prowess,  was  among  the  former.  Margaret,  who  did 
not  care  at  all  for  the  baron's  prowess,  and  Mademoiselle 
Martina  Akerstrom,  the  daughter  of  the  minister  of  the 
parish,  and  the  fiancee  of  Lieutenant  Osburu  —  an  excellent 
young  girl,  rather  too  high  colored  for  beauty,  but  agree- 
able, affectionate,  and  sincere,  whom  Margaret  preferred 
to  any  of  her  other  new  acquaintances  —  were  among  the 
latter.  We  may  as  well  state,  in  passing,  that  Minister 
Mickelson,  of  whom  mention  was  made  in  relating  the 
story  of  Baroness  Hilda,  had  died  long  ago,  after  rashly 
quarrelling,  it  was  asserted,  with  Baron  Olaus.  His 
successor  was  a  very  respectable  man,  and  although  his 
living  was  in  the  gift  of  the  chatelain,  as  was  the  right 
of  certain  fiefs,  he  showed  great  dignity  and  independence 
in  his  relations  with  the  Snow  Man.  Perhaps  the  baron 
had  found  out  that  it  was  more  to  his  advantage  to  be  on 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 

good  terms  with  a  good  man,  than  to  have  to  cater  to 
the  bad  passions  of  a  dangerous  friend.  He  treated  him 
with  great  respect,  and  the  pastor  often  appealed  to  him 
in  behalf  of  the  feeble  and  poor,  without  irritating  him  by 
his  frankness. 

On  the  whole,  there  was  a  lack  of  excitement  in  the 
baron's  hunt.  No  one  believed  that  they  would  find  any 
bears  so  near  the  chateau,  especially  after  several  days 
of  revelry  and  feasting.  The  bear  is  naturally  shy  and 
sulky.  He  has  no  liking  either  for  orchestral  music  or 
the  play  of  fireworks  ;  and  the  whisper  passed  around 
from  one  to  the  other,  that  if  they  should  happen  to  find 
one,  it  would  surely  be  a  tame  bear  and  a  capital  dancer, 
who  would  come  of  his  own  accord  to  give  his  paw  to 
the  chatelain.  The  weather,  however,  was  magnificent ; 
the  roads  through  the  forest  were  practicable,  and  no  one 
failed  to  be  upon  the  spot,  even  the  old  people,  who 
drove  to  a  very  comfortable  rustic  pavilion,  where  break- 
fast and  dinner  were  to  be  served,  whether  the  hunters 
killed  bears  or  hares. 

When  the  chateau  was  about  deserted,  Johan,  after 
sending  off  on  various  pretences  the  servants  of  whom  he 
did  not  feel  sure,  proceeded  to  exercise  the  duties  of  the 
inquisitor,  which  he  had  boasted  he  would  carry  through 
successfully.  We  subjoin  an  account  of  his  day,  as.  he 
noted  down  all  that  occurred,  hour  by  hour,  with  the 
greatest  precision : 

"Nine  o'clock.  —  The  Italian  yelling  with  hunger  and 
thirst.  Had  him  silenced  —  that  was  easily  managed. 

"  No  one  at  Stollborg  but  Stenson,  the  lawyer,  and 
his  little  valet — Ulph,  the  drunkard,  is  not  worth  men- 
tioning. Christian  Waldo  has  disappeared,  unless  he  is 
ill,  and  in  bed.  The  lawyer,  who  shares  his  room  with 
him,  won't  admit  any  one  ;  I  begin  to  have  my  doubts 
about  him. 

"Ten  o'clock.  —  The  captain  sends  to  inquire  if  it  is 
not  time  to  act.  Not  yet.  The  Italian  has  still  too 
much  strength.  Christian  Waldo  is  decidedly  absent. 
I  went  into  the  famous  bear-room,  and  found  the  lawyer 
at  work.  He  says  that  he  don't  know  where  the  man 


THE  SNO  W  MAN. 


399 


with  the  marionettes  has  gone.  I  saw  the  baggage  of 
the  latter.  He  is  not  far. 

"  Eleven  o'clock.  —  I  have  unearthed  Christian  Waldo's 
valet  in  the  stables  of  the  new  chateau,  and  have  made 
him  talk.  He  knows  his  master's  real  name  :  Dulac. 
He  iriust  be  French,  then,  and  not  Italian.  A  more  in- 
teresting discovery  due  to  this  Puffo  is,  that  thei'e  are 
two  Waldos  here  instead  of  one.  Puffo  did  not  work 
the  marionettes  last  evening,  and  the  Waldo  who  talked 
to  me  (the  man  with  the  wine-colored  birth-mark)  told 
me  a  dozen  lies.  Puffo  does  not  know  who  his  assistant 
could  have  been.  For  his  part,  he  was  drunk  and  asleep. 
He  cannot  imagine,  he  says,  who  could  have  replaced 
him.  I  had  some  idea  of  sending  him  to  the  captain, 
but  felt  pretty  well  satisfied  that  what  he  said  was  true. 
I  shall  not  lose  sight  of  him.  He  may  be  useful. 

"This  second  Waldo  must  be  the  false  Goefle.  So, 
if  we  don't  let  them  know  that  they  are  suspected,  we 
can  seize  them  both  to-night.  I  thought  old  Stenson 
seemed  rather  anxious,  and  told  him  that  he  would  be 
left  undisturbed.  In  any  event,  he  must  be  reassured, 
so  that  he  may  not  escape  us. 

"Noon.  —  I  have  it  all :  the  secret  proof  which  I  send 
you,  and  the  disclosures  of  the  Italian,  which  are  as 
follows  :  (He  did  not  make  the  least  resistance  ;  the 
mere  sight  of  our  chamber  of  roses  rendered  him  demon- 
strative.) 

"  Christian  Waldo  is  really  he  whom  you  are  seeking. 
He  is  handsome  and  well-made  ;  his  description  corre- 
sponds exactly  with  the  appearance  of  the  false  Christian 
Waldo.  The  Italian  does  not  know  anything  about  the 
man  with  the  birth-mark. 

"The  famous  proof,  which  I  procure  you  gratis,  was 
hidden  between  two  stones,  behind  the  hogar,  in  a  very 
well-chosen  place,  which  I  will  show  you.  .  I  Avent  to  get 
it  myself,  and  I  send  it  to  you  without  knowing  what  its 
value  may  be.  You  can  judge  about  that.  I  have  sent 
M.  Italian  some  breakfast ;  his  real  name  is  Guido 
Massarelli. 

"  Do  iiot  be  in  any  haste  to  leave  the  chase,  and  show 


400 


THE   SNO  W  MAN. 


no  impatience,  even  if  the  papers  I  send  should  really  be 
of  importance.  These  mountebanks  are  undoubtedly  in 
league  with  Guido,  but  as  they  have  not  been  able  to 
communicate  with  him  since  yesterday,  we  have  them  all 
in  our  power.  Guido  offers  to  turn  against  them,  but  I 
do  not  trust  him.  If  the  whole  thing  is  merely  a  mys- 
tification to  get  money  out  of  you,  we  will  pay  in  another 
manner  than  they  expect,  and  will  pay  dear  !  " 

Having  closed  his  bulletin,  Johan  tied  it  to  the  port- 
folio which  Guido  had  been  forced  to  deliver  up,  and 
sent  it,  carefully  sealed,  and  by  the  surest  of  his  messen- 
gers, to  the  baron's  address  at  the  rendezvous  of  the  hunt. 

XIII. 

T"X  7HILE  this  despatch  is  speeding  after  the  baron,  we 
*  *  shall  take  the  liberty  of  proceeding  ourselves  to 
Bcetsoi's  chalet,  where  the  brave  danneman  wanted  to 
carry  Christian  off  with  him  with  no  other  arms  than  a 
cord  and  an  iron-shod  stick. 

"  Wait !  "  cried  the  major ;  "  cJbr  friend  must  be 
equipped  and  armed.  Your  boar-spear  is  not  to  be  des- 
pised, Master  Joe,  but  a  good  Norwegian  cutlass  will  do 
more  execution,  and  a  good  gun  will  not  be  superfluous." 

Yielding  to  the  entreaties  of  the  major  and  the  lieuten- 
ant, Christian  put  on  a  reindeer  skin  coat  and  felt  boots, 
the  latter  without  either  soles  or  seams,  and  having  the 
advantage  of  never  slipping  on  the  ice,  and  of  being  im- 
penetrable to  the  cold.  Then,  after  arming  and  supplying 
him  with  powder  and  balls,  Christian's  friends  put  a  fur 
cap  ou  his  head,  and  proceeded  to  draw  lots  for  their 
places  in  the  hunt. 

"  I  have  number  1  !  "  cried  the  major,  in  great  exulta- 
tion ;  "  so  it  is  I  who  am  to  yield  my  place  to  Christian, 
and  to  take  my  stand  a  hundred  steps  behind  him ;  the 
lieutenant  will  be  on  my  left,  and  the  corporal  ou  my 
right,  at  a  distance,  also,  of  a  hundred  steps  on  each  side. 
Now  theu,  start,  and  count  your  steps  ;  when  you  have 
counted  a  hundred,  make  us  a  sign,  and  we  will  follow." 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


401 


Everything  being  thus  regulated,  the  danneman  and 
Christian  began  the  march,  and  the  others  followed,  ob- 
serving the  distances  agreed  upon.  Christian  was  aston- 
ished to  see  them  adopt  this  oi'der  of  battle  from  the  very 
moment  of  departure. 

"  Is  the  bear  so  near,"  he  asked  of  his  guide,  "  that  we 
should  not  have  time  enough  ten  times  over  to  take  our 
proper  positions  on  approaching  his  den?  " 

"  The  iviclced  one  is  very  near,"  replied  the  danueman. 
"  No  one  of  them  has  ever  taken  up  his  winter  quarters 
before,  so  near  my  house.  I  was  so  far  from  suspecting 
his  presence,  that  I  have  passed  a  dozen  times  almost 
over  his  hole,  without  supposing  that  I  had  such  a  hand- 
some neighbor," 

"  Our  bear  is  handsome,  then?  " 

"  He  is  one  of  the  largest  I  have  ever  seen.  But  begin 
and  talk  low  ;  he  has  very  good  ears,  and,  in  less  than  a 
quarter  of  an  hour,  he  will  hear  every  word  we  say." 

"  Were  not  your  daughters  alarmed  at  having  such  a 
neighbor?"  said  Christian,  approaching  the  danneman, 
and  lowering  his  voice  to  please  him,  though  his  appre- 
hensions seemed  to  him  exaggerated. 

At  this  question,  Joe  Bcetsoi  drew  himself  up  stiffly, 
straightened  his  large  head  between  his  shoulders,  and 
looked  at  Christian  askance. 

"  Herr  Christian,  my  daughters  are  honest  girls,"  he 
said,  dryly. 

"Pray  have  I  intimated  anything  to  the  contrary, 
Herr  Boetsoi?"  said  Christian,  feeling  very  much  sur- 
prised. 

"Don't  you  know,"  replied  the  danneman,  making  an 
effort  to  pronounce  the  name  which  he  disliked  so  much, 
"  don't  you  know  that  the  bear  can  do  no  harm  to  a  vir- 
gin, and  that  consequently  an  honest  girl  can  go  and 
snatch  her  kid  or  her  lamb  from  his  very  claws,  without 
any  danger  ? " 

"Pardon,  Monsieur  Danneman,  I  did  not   know  it; 
I  am  a  stranger,  and  I  see  that  we  can  learu  something 
new  every  day.     But  are  you  quite  sure   that  the  bear 
26 


402 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


has  such  a  respect  for  chastity  ?     Would  you  allow  one 
of  your  daughters  to  accompany  you  at  this  moment?" 

"No!  women  can't  keep  their  tongues  from  wagging, 
and  their  chattering  gives  notice  to  the  game.  That  is 
why  neither  girls  nor  women  should  ever  go  to  a  hunt." 

"And  if  you  should  happen  to  see  the  bear  pursuing 
your  daughters  would  you  not  be  alarmed?  Would  you 
not  shoot  it  ?  " 

"  I  would  shoot  it  for  the  sake  of  getting  its  skin,  but 
I  should  not  be  uneasy  about  my  daughters.  I  tell  you 
I  am  sure  of  their  conduct." 

"But  your  sister,  the  sibyl,  she,  without  doubt,  has 
been  married?" 

"Married?"  said  the  danneman,  throwing  back  his 
head  disdainfully. 

He  resumed,  with  a  sigh  : 

"Whether  married  or  not,  Karine  is  not  afraid  of 
wicked  tongues." 

"Do  wicked  tongues  come  to  torment  you  even  here, 
Master  Joe?  I  should  have  thought,  in  this  wilder- 
ness—  " 

The  danneman  shrugged  his  shoulders,  and  looked  dis- 
contented, but  did  not  reply. 

"Havel  displeased  you  again  without  knowing  it?" 
asked  Christian,  after  a  few  seconds. 

"jYes,"  replied  the  danneman,  "and,  as  it  is  not 
well  to  go  together  where  we  are  going  with  something 
on  your  heart.  I  will  speak  out.  Why  did  you  ask  me 
whether  Karine  was  afraid  of  the  bear?  I  will  not  take 
another  step  until  I  know  whether  you  are  thinking  any- 
thing evil  either  of  her  or  of  me." 

Christian  found  it  difficult  to  reply  to  this  direct  appeal 
to  his  sincerity,  made,  as  it  was,  with  a  sort  of  grand 
simplicity,  recalling  the  manners  of  early  ages.  The 
feeling  of  curiosity  which  had  led  him  to  question  Boetsoi 
about  Karine  had  its  origin  in  mysterious  causes  in  his 
own  heart,  which  it  was  impossible  for  him  to  explain. 
He  thought  to  make  matters  right  by  correcting  Bretsoi's 
error  as  to  the  facts  of  the  case. 

"Master   Joe,"   he    said,     "I   did   not   ask  whether 


THE   SNO  W  MAN. 


403 


your  sister  was  afraid  of  the  bear,  but  whether  she  had 
been  married,  and  I  do  not  see  anything  offensive  in  my 
question." 

The  peasant  looked  at  him  again,  and  with  such  a 
keen,  searching  glance,  that  he  felt  quite  confused. 

"Your  question  does  not  offend  me,"  he  said,  "if 
you  can  swear  that  you  did  not  listen  to  any  wicked 
gossip  about  my  family  before  coming  to  my  house." 

Christian,  remembering  what  the  major  had  said, 
hesitated  to  reply,  and  Boetsoi  resumed : 

"'  Come,  come !  why  should  you  lie?  You  have  no 
reasons  for  being  my  enemy,  and  you  can  tell  me  freely 
all  you  have  heard  about  the  child  of  the  lake." 

"The  child  of  the  lake?"  cried  Christian.  "Who 
is  the  child  of  the  lake?" 

"  If  you  do  not  know,  I  have  nothing  to  tell  you." 

"Yes,  yes!"  Christian  rejoined;  "I  know — I  think 
I  know.  Speak  to  me  as  to  a  friend,  Master  Joe.  Is 
the  child  of  the  lake  Karine's  son  ?  " 

"  No,"  replied  the  danneman,  his  face  lighting  up 
with  a  singular  expression  of  enthusiasm;  "it  belonged 
to  her,  indeed,  but  it  was  not  conceived  and  born  like 
other  children.  Karine  was  unfortunate,  as  happens 
to  girls  who  learn  things  above  their  condition,  and  who 
read  in  the  books  of  a  religion  that  we  ought  no  longer 
to  understand  ;  but  she  was  not  wicked,  as  people  say. 
I  was  deceived  about  it  myself  as  well  as  the  rest,  I  who 
am  speaking  to  you!  There  was  a  time — I  was  still 
very  young  in  those  days  —  when  I  wanted  to  put  a 
bullet  through  the  head  of  a  man  of  whom  Karine 
talked  too  much  in  her  dreams ;  but  she  swore  to  our 
mother  and  to  me  that  she  hated  that  man.  She  swore 
it  on  the  Bible,  and  we  could  not  doubt  her  word  after 
that.  The  child  was  suckled  on  the  mountain  by  a  tame 
doe,  that  followed  Kariue  like  a  kid.  She  lived  alone 
with  him  for  more  than  a  year,  in  a  different  house  from 
ours,  much  higher  than  the  one  you  have  seen.  When 
the  child  was  weaned  we  took  him  into  our  house,  and 
loved  him.  He  was  growing  up,  he  talked,  and  he  was 
beautiful ;  but,  one  day,  he  departed  as  he  had  come, 


4°4 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


and  Karine  wept  so  much  that  her  mind  flew  away  after 
him,  and  never  returned.  There  is  a  great  mystery  in  all 
this.  Don't  every  one  know  that  there  are  women  who 
bring  children  into  the  world  merely  by  uttering  some 
form  of  speech,  just  as  they  conceive  them  by  breath- 
ing the  air  of  the  lakes  when  the  trolls  have  set  it  in 
motion  ?  Karine  lived  too  much  down  yonder,  and  every 
one  knows  that  there  are  wicked  spirits  in  the  lake  of 
AVuldemora.  Enough  said.  It  is  the  secret  of  God  and 
of  the  waters.  No  one  must  think  evil  of  Karine.  She 
does  no  work,  she  renders  no  service  that  is  seen  or 
is  useful  iu  a  house ;  but  she  is  one  of  those  who. 
by  their  learning  and  their  songs,  bring  happiness  to 
families.  She  sees  what  others  do  not  see,  and  what  she 
announces  happens  in  one  way  or  another.  That  is 
enough,  I  tell  you,  for  here  we  are  close  to  the  wicked 
one's  den,  and  now  we  must  think  of  nothing  but  him. 
Listen  to  what  I  say,  and  then  not  a  word  more,  not  a 
single  one,  for  your  life." 

"Even  if  it  should  cost  me  my  life,"  said  Christian, 
agitated  and  struck  by  the  mysterious  narrative  of  the 
danneman,  "you  must  tell  me  more  about  that  child 
which  was  brought  up  in  your  house.  Did  he  not  have 
something  peculiar  about  his  fingers?" 

The.  danneman's  face  turned  a  fiery  red,  in  spite  of  the 
cold. 

"  I  have  told  you,"  he  replied,  in  an  irritated  tone,  "  all 
that  I  intend  to.  If  it  is  to  insult  me,  and  to  defame 
the  honor  of  my  family,  that  you  have  come  to  eat  my 
bread  and  kill  my  game,  look  out  for  yourself,  or  give 
up  going  to  the  hunt,  Herr  Christian  ;  for,  as  true  as  my 
name  is  Boetsoi,  I  will  leave  you  alone  with  the  wicked 
one." 

"  Master  Boetsoi,"  replied  Christian,  calmly,  "I am  not 
so  much  alarmed  by  your  threat,  as  grieved  at  the  idea 
of  having  wounded  you.  You  can  leave  me  alone  with 
the  wicked  one,  if  you  choose.  I  will  try  to  be  more 
wicked  than  he  ;  but  do  not,  I  implore  you,  carry  away 
a  bad  opinion  of  me.  We  will  resume  this  conversation, 
I  hope,  and  you  will  acknowledge  then,  that  the  thought 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


4°5 


of  outraging  the  honor  of  your  family  could  never  have 
entered  my  mind." 

"  Very  good,"  replied  the  danneman,  "let  us  talk,  then, 
of  the  ivicJced  one.  Either  he  will  fly  with  all  speed 
before  we  have  reached  his  den,  and  in  that  case  you 
must  fire  upon  him,  or  he  will  make  up  his  mind  to  fight, 
un<i  will  rise  on  his  hind  legs.  You  know  where  the  place 
is  for  the  heart ;  'and,  if  you  do  not  reach  it  with  this  good 
knife,  it  can  only  be  because  your  hand  trembles.  There 
is  only  one  thing  to  be  careful  about :  do  not  let  him 
disarm  your  right  hand  before  seizing  your  left  arm,  for 
he  can  see  weapons  plainly  enough,  and  he  has  more 
sense  than  you  suppose.  Go  up  to  him,  then,  coolly  and 
quietly,  without  being  in  any  hurry.  As  long  as  the 
wicked  one  is  not  wounded,  he  is  not  insolent,  and  he  don't 
well  know  what  he  wants  to  do.  For  my  part,  I  usually 
talk  to  him,  and  promise  that  I  will  not  do  him  any  harm  ; 
to  lie  to  a  beast  is  not  to  lie.  I  advise  you,  then,  to  talk 
to  him  pleasantly.  He  has  sense  enough  to  see  that  he 
is  being  flattered,  but  not  enough  to  see  that  he  is  being 
deceived.  And  now,  wait  until  I  see  whether  those  gen- 
tlemen have  posted  themselves  as  they  ought  around  the 
den,  for,  if  the  beast  escapes  us,  he  must  not  escape  them. 
I  will  return  in  five  minutes." 

Christian  remained  alone  in  a  strange  scene.  Since 
leaving  the  chalet,  he  had  come  with  his  guide  through 
the  depths  of  a  magnificent  forest,  covering  with  its 
great  green  waves  the  flanks  of  the  mountain.  The 
profusion  of  fine  trees  in  these  regions,  and  the  difficulty 
of  transporting  them  elsewhere  for  manufacturing  pur- 
poses, have  occasioned  the  contemptuous,  and  one  might 
almost  say  impious,  prodigality  with  which  the  inhab- 
itants of  the  country  treat  these  noble  children  of  the 
wilderness.  To  make  the  smallest  tool,  the  most  insig- 
nificant plaything  (the  Dalecarlian  herdsman,  like  the 
Swiss,  is  very  skilful  in  cutting  and  carving  resinous 
wood),  they  sacrifice  without  regret  a  giant  of  verdure, 
and  often,  to  save  themselves  the  trouble  of  felling  it, 
set  fire  to  the  roots  ;  so  much  the  worse  for  them,  if  the 
flames  spread  and  devour  whole  forests !  In  many 


406  THE  SNO  W  MAN. 

places  battalions  of  black  monsters  can  be  seen  rising 
over  the  snow,  or,  in  summer,  over  plains  of  cinders. 
These  are  the  charred  trunks  that  no  longer  afford  a 
refuge  to  any  animal,  and  which  are  the  abode  of  silence 
and  of  the  immobility  of  death.*  Hunters  in  Russia  are 
shocked  to  find,  in  the  splendid  forests  of  that  country,  the 
same  recklessness  and  the  same  profanations.  . 

The  forest  in  which  Christian  now  was,  had  neither 
been  burned  nor  felled,  and  it  was  not  so  painful,  there- 
fore, to  mark  its  decay.  What  you  beheld  was  a  grand 
desolation,  a  sublime  destruction,  due  exclusively  to 
natural  causes :  the  old  age  of  the  trees,  the  sinking  of 
the -ground,  the  passage  of  storms.  It  was  like  some 
primeval  forest  caught  between  the  wandering  ice-fields 
of  polar  seas.  Great  pines,  shattered  and  withered, 
rested  upon  their  neighbors,  still  green  and  erect,  but 
whose  tops  or  principal  branches  they  had  broken  by 
their  fall.  Enormous  rocks  had  rolled  over  declivities, 
dragging  with  them  innumerable  plants,  that  had  either 
continued  to  live,  broken  and  twisted  as  they  were,  or 
had  been  replaced  by  a  new  growth  springing  up  over 
the  ruin  beneath.  Several  years  must  have  elapsed  since 
this  catastrophe,  the  result  of  some  deluge,  for  young 
birch-trees  were  growing  upon  heights  which  were  noth- 
ing more  than  masses  of  debris  and  land-slips.  With 
the  slightest  breath  of  wind,  these  trees,  which  were 
already  beautiful,  balanced  to  and  fro  the  icicles  sus- 
pended from  their  light  and  pendant  branches,  with  a 
quick,  clicking  sound,  like  that  of  water  flowing  over 
pebbles. 

This  savage  region  was  sublime.  A  thousand  feet 
beneath  him,  Christian  beheld  the  torrent  of  the  aby.ss 
(the  elf,  or  strasm,  as  all  streams  of  water  are  called), 
and  was  astonished  to  find  that  it  had  precisely  the  same 
colors  and  the  same  undulations  as  if  it  had  not  been 
frozen.  At  this  distance  it  would  have  been  impossible 
for  a  deaf  man  to  know  that  it  was  not  dashing  forward, 
roaring  and  tumultuous  ;  the  eye  was  completely  deceived 

*  It  is  only  very  lately  that  the  government  in  Sweden  has 
taken  measures  —  too  late,  perhaps  —  to  check  these  devastations. 


THE   SNOW  MAN.  407 

by  its  dark  metallic  tint,  covered  with  enormous  eddies, 
that  looked  like  foam.  But  for  Christian,  whose  ear 
would  have  caught  the  slightest  sound  ascending  from 
the  ravine,  nothing  could  have  seemed  stranger  than  the 
contrast  between  the  apparent  agitation  of  this  impetu- 
ous torrent  and  its  absolute  silence.  Nothing  in  the 
world  resembles  death  so  much  as  a  world  thus  petrified 
by  winter.  Hence,  the  slightest  sign  of  life  in  this  mo- 
tionless picture,  a  footprint  upon  the  snow,  the  short 
and  stealthy  flight  of  a  little  bird,  is  greeted  with  sur- 
prise, and  this  surprise  becomes  almost  terror  when  an 
elk  or  doe  flees  before  you,  with  rapid,  resounding 
steps,  suddenly  awakening  the  sleeping  echoes  of  the 
solitude. 

However,  Christian  was  thinking  just  now,  not  of  ad- 
miring nature,  but  of  preparing  for  his  fight  with  the 
wicked  one.  His  soul  was  oppressed  by  a  most  sad  and 
terrible  thought.  The  danneman^B  strange  narrative, 
which  he  had  found  almost  incomprehensible  at  first, 
thanks  to  his  incorrect  language  avid  superstitious  ideas, 
was  beginning  to  acquire  a  painful  significance.  This 
rustic  sibyl,  seduced  by  the  troll  of  the  lake,  this  myste- 
rious child  brought  up  in  the  dauueniau's  chalet,  aud 
which  had  disappeared  Avhen  three  or  four  years  old, 
those  inexplicable  intuitions  that  had  come  to  him  dur- 
ing the  morning  meal,  and  which,  perhaps,  were  merely 
•  reminiscences  suddenly  awakened  — 

"Yes,"  he  said,  " now  again,  the  recollection,  or  the 
delusion,  returns  to  me.  The  three  lost  cows  —  twenty 
years  ago  —  the  gun-shot  that  stopped  the  fourth.  It 
seems  to  me  that  I  can  hear  now  that  fatal  shot ;  it  seems 
to  me  that  I  can  see  the  poor  beast  fall,  aud  that  I  feel 
again  the  sensation  of  grief  aud  regret  which  I  then  ex- 
perienced, and  which  was  perhaps  my  first  emotion,  the 
awakening  within  me  of  the  life  of  sentiment.  Great 
God !  I  feel  as  if  a  whole  forgotten  world  were  rean- 
imated, and  rising  before  me.  Was  it  not  yonder,  at  the 
turn  of  that  rock,  at  the  edge  of  that  red-colored  preci- 
pice, that  the  scene  passed  ?  It  must  have  been  there, 
lias  my  soul  visited  this  place  in  some  anterior  existence, 


THE    SNOW  MAN. 

or  have  I  myself  been  here?  And,  in  the  latter  c;'.*e. 
who  can  my  father  be  ?  Who  is  that  man,  whom  the 
danneman  came  near  killing  before  his  suspicions  had 
been  lulled  to  sleep  by  superstition  ?  Why  did  the  sibyl 
—  my  mother,  perhaps  —  why  did  she  shudder  when  she 
touched  my  fingers?  She  was  in  a  sort  of  trance,  she 
had  not  looked  into  my  face;  but  she  said  I  was  the 
baron  !  And  just  now,  when  I  asked  the  danneman  if 
the  child  had  not  some  peculiar  mark  about  his  hands, 
did  not  his  anger  and  grief  prove  that  he  had  observed  and 
understood  this  hereditary  sign,  more  apparent,  probably, 
in  the  child  than  it  now  is  in  the  man  ? 

;'  Besides,  even  if  he  had  noticed  it  in  me  to-day,  he 
would  have  been  far  enough  from  drawing  any  com- 
parison. The  idea  of  trying  to  recognize  me  did  not 
even  occur  to  him.  In  his  eyes,  I  was  merely  a  curious 
and  jeering  stranger,  questioning  him  about  the  secret 
of  his  family,  and  that  secret  is  his  shame.  He  prefers 
to  turn  it  into  a  legend,  a  fairy  story.  He  is  offended  if 
you  doubt  the  marvels  he  describes ;  he  gets  angry  if 
you  suggest  that  the  child's  fingers  were  like  those  of 
Baron  Olaus.  It  is  only  the  truth,  they  say,  that  offends, 
and  that  truth  I  have  divined.  Poor  Karine,  how  ter- 
rified she  was  when  she  took  me  for  her  seducer ! 

"Her  seducer!  who  knows?  This  man,  hated  and 
despised  by  all,  may  have  done  her  violence.  She  would 
naturally  have  concealed  her  misfortune,  she  would  have 
made  the  most  of  the  beiief  of  her  family  in  evil  spirits, 
to  prevent  her  young  brother,  the  danneman,  from  ex- 
posing himself  to  danger,  by  seeking  to  revenge  her  upon 
a  too  powerful  enemy.  Poor  woman  !  Yes,  certainly, 
she  hates  him,  she  fears  him  still !  She  has  become  a 
seeress  since  her  disaster — that  is,  mad  !  She  must  have 
received  a  sort  of  education,  since  she  knows  by  heart  the 
ancient  poems  of  her  country,  and  in  her  exaltation  she 
draws  from  her  confused  recollection  of  these  tragic  songs. 
gloomy  threats  and  words  of  hatred.  At  any  rate,  whether 
I  am  deceiving  myself,  or  am  drawing  a  logical  deduction 
from  facts,  I  believe  it  is  the  hand  of  God  that  ha>  led 
me  back  to  the  hut  from  which  I  was  carried  off — why, 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


409 


and  by  whom  ?  Was  it  the  dannemau,  the  intrepid  trav- 
eller, who  bore  me  far  away,  to  remove  from  his  sister's 
eyes  the  living  image  of  her  remorse,  or  from  his  family 
the  sign  of  their  shame  ?  Or  should  I  rather  believe  in 
the  jealousy  of  the  wife  of  Olaus,  according  to  the  major's 
theory?" 

All  these  thoughts  rushed  through  Christian's  mind, 
overwhelming  him  with  grief  and  agony.  The  idea  of 
being  the  sou  of  Baron  Olaus  only  redoubled  his  aversion 
for  him.  Under  such  circumstances  he  could  only  regard 
him  as  the  enemy  of  his  mother's  honor  and  repose. 

u  Or  again,"  he  continued,  "  who  knows  if  it  was  not 
he  himself  who  had  me  kidnapped,  to  avoid  fulfilling  some 
promise  made  to  his  victim,  some  engagement  contracted 
towards  her  ?  Ah !  if  it  were  so,  I  should  remain  in 
this  country.  Without  seeking  to  make  myself  known,  I 
would  go  into  service  with  the  danneman  ;  by  my  industry, 
my  devotion,  I  would  certainly  gain  his  respect,  and  per- 
haps the  love  of  this  family  to  which  I  belong,  and  then 
I  could  try  and  bring  back  this  poor  seeress,  if  not  to  her 
right  mind,  at  least  to  a  state  of  tranquillity,  as  I  suc- 
ceeded formerly  in  calming  the  frenzy  of  my  dear  Sophia 
Goffredi.  What  a  strange  destiny  is  mine  !  To  be  thus 
condemned  to  have  two  mothers  driven  mad  by  despair  ! 
No  matter  ;  undeserved  as  this  punishment  is,  it  gives  me 
a  duty  to  perform,  and,  in  fulfilling  it,  I  may  be  led  to 
some  mysterious  recompense.  I  accept  the  obligation  im- 
posed upon  me.  Karine  Bretsoi  may  not  remember 
that  she  has  lost  her  child,  but  she  shall  receive,  from  this 
time,  the  care  and  protection  of  a  son." 

At  this  moment  Christian  thought  he  heard  some  one 
call.  He  looked  around,  and  on  every  side,  but  saw  no 
one.  The  danneman  had  told  him  to  wait ;  he  was  to 
return  for  him  :  Christian  hesitated,  but,  after  a  second, 
a  cry  of  distress  made  him  start  up.  seize  his  weapons, 
and  rush  forward  in  the  direction  of  the  voice. 

Scaling  with  wonderful  agility  the  overthrown  trees 
and  fragments  of  debris  hardened  by  the  ice  and  inter- 
locked by  enormous  roots,  Christian,  without  knowing  it, 
came  out  at  twenty  steps  from  the  bear's  den.  The  ter- 


410 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


rible  animal  was  on  the  ground  between  him  and  this 
cave,  licking  up  the  blood  which  stained  the  snow  around 
her  bleeding  flanks.  The  danneman  was  at  the  opening 
of  the  den,  pale,  his  hair  blown  by  the  wind  and  as  it 
were  standing  on  end,  and  without  any  weapon  at  all  in 
his  hands.  His  boar-spear,  broken  in  the  side  of  the  bear, 
was  lying  near  the  animal,  and,  instead  of  thinking  of 
taking  his  gun  from  his  shoulder-belt  to  finish  his  work, 
Boetsoi  seemed  fascinated  by  some  mysterious  terror,  or 
enchained  by  some  inexplicable  prudence. 

As  soon  as  he  saw  Christian  he  made  signs  to  him, 
which  the  latter  did  not  comprehend ;  he  guessed,  how- 
ever, that  he  was  not  to  speak,  and  took  aim  at  the  bear. 
Luckily,  before  pulling  the  trigger,  he  looked  again  at 
Joe  Boetsoi,  who  ordered  him,  with  a  despairing  gesture,  to 
stop.  Christian,  imitating  his  pantomime,  asked  whether 
he  -was  to  cut  the  creature's  throat,  in  silence  ;  and,  on 
receiving  a  sign  in  the  affirmative,  he  marched  straight 
up  to  the  bear,  who,  upon  her  side,  arose  erect  and  growl- 
ing, to  receive  him. 

"  Quick  !  quick  !  or  we  are  lost !  "  cried  the  dannemau, 
who  had  taken  the  gun,  and  seemed  to  be  watching  some 
invisible  object  at  the  bottom  of  the  den. 

Christian  did  not  wait  to  be  told  twice.  Presenting  his 
left  arm,  wrapped  in  a  cord,  to  the  rather  feeble  embrace 
of  the  wounded  bear,  he  ripped  her  open  in  proper  style,  but 
without  thinking  that  she  might  fall  forward,  and  that  he 
ought  to  jump  quickly  aside,  to  give  her  room.  Luckily, 
the  bear  fell  to  one  side,  dragging  Christian  with  her  to  the 
ground  ;  but  her  formidable  claws,  contracted  in  the  death 
agony,  could  do  nothing  now  but  clutch  at  the  skirt  of  his 
coat.  Buried  in  the  snow,  and  nailed  down,  as  it  were, 
by  the  weight  and  claws  of  the  wicked  one,  laid  upon  and 
thrust  into  the  edge  of  his  garment,  Christian  had  some 
difficulty  in  getting  free,  and  he  left  behind  him  a  con- 
siderable portion  of  the  major's  reindeer-skin  coat,  but  he 
scarcely  thought  of  that  now.  The  danneman  was  strug- 
gling with  other  enemies.  He  had  just  fired  into  the  dark 
cave,  and  another  bear,  black,  and  of  quite  a  good  size, 
although  young,  had  come  forward  to  meet  him,  with  a 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


411 


threatening  air  ;  while  two  cabs,  about  the  size  of  two  strong 
whelps,  threw  themselves  between  his  legs,  with  no  other 
intention,  it  is  true,  than  that  of  flying,  but  in  such  a  way 
as  to  make  it  difficult  for  him  to  maintain  his  equilibrium. 
The  danneman,  resolved  to  perish  rather  than  make  room 
for  his  triple  prey  to  pass,  supported  himself  against  the 
trees,  whoso  trunks  formed  a  sort  of  naturally  arched 
entrance  to  the  cave,  and  awaited  the  attack  of  the  young 
bear,  who  had  been  wounded  by  his  shot ;  but,  shaken 
in  spite  of  himself  by  the  young  ones,  he  had  just  fallen, 
and  the  wounded  and  furious  animal  was  throwing  him- 
self upon  him,  when  Christian,  sure  of  his  eye  and  his 
coolness,  put  a  ball  into  the  animal's  head,  at  a  foot  above 
that  of  the  man. 

"  Very  well  done  !  "  said  the  danneman,  springing  up 
with  agility. 

In  the  meanwhile  the  cubs  had  run  over  his  body,  and, 
for  the  moment,  his  only  thought  was  to  prevent  them 
from  escaping. 

"  Stay  !  stay !  "  said  Christian,  following  the  tAVO  fugi- 
tives with  his  eye  ;  "  see  what  they  are  about !  " 

In  fact  the  two  cubs  had  rushed  up  to  their  dead  mother, 
and  had  glided,  cowering,  under  her  bleeding  sides. 

u  It  is  only  fair,"  said  the  danneman,  rubbing  his  arm, 
Avhich  the  black  bear  had  bruised  through  the  cord,  "  it  is 
uot  our  place  to  kill  them.  We  have  each  of  us  secured 
a  prize.  Call  your  comrades ;  for  my  part,  I  am  too 
much  blown,  and  then  I  have  had  a  fine  fright,  I  confess. 
That  was  a  narrow  escape  ;  and  without  you  — .  But 
call  them,  I  say.  I  will  talk  about  that  another  time." 

Christian  shouted  with  all  the  strength  of  his  lungs  ;  and 
the  danneman,  still  trembling  a  little,  but  as  attentive  as 
ever,  reloaded  his  gun  quickly,  so  as  to  have  it  in  readi- 
ness in  case  the  cubs  should  abandon  their  mother's  body, 
and  attempt  to  fly  before  the  arrival  of  the  other  hunters. 

The  firing  had  already  notified  the  latter  of  the  com- 
bat, and  they  soon  appeared,  coming  from  three  direc- 
tions. Larrson,  who  was  first,  shouted  victory  when  he 
saw  the  enormous  bear  lying  at  Christian's  feet. 

"  Look  out !  stop  !  "  cried  Christian.     "  Our  bear  was 


412 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


a  mother  ;  she  had  two  fine  young  ones.  I  intercede  for 
these  poor  orphans.  Take  them  living." 

"  Certainly,"  replied  Larrson.  "  To  the  rescue,  com- 
rades !  here  are  some  pupils  for  us  to  bring  up." 

They  surrounded  the  corpse  of  the  she-bear,  and  raised 
it  cautiously ;  for  even  when  this  animal  seems  to  be 
dead  it  is  necessary  to  be  on  your  guard,  lest  it  should  be 
feigning.  They  had  some  difficulty  in  capturing  the  cubs, 
who  already  showed  their  claws  and  teeth,  but  they  were 
secured,  at  last,  and  carefully  bound  and  muzzled.  This 
accomplished,  they  had  leisure  to  admire  the  ample  booty 
which  the  den  had  concealed,  and  regrets  were  half  ex- 
pressed, which  the  danueman  hastened  to  anticipate. 

"You  must  pardon  me  for  what  I  have  done,"  he  said 
to  the  two  young  officers.  "I  had  strong  suspicions  that 
that  great  spotted  creature  was  a  mother  ;  did  I  tell  you 
she  was  spotted  ?  Oh,  I  saw  her  plainly,  but  I  could  not 
get  a  good  look  at  the  young  ones,  and,  as  for  the  friend, 
I  had  not  seen  him  at  all.  I  have  often  been  told  that 
the  mother  brings  into  her  winter's  refuge  a  youug  wicked 
one,  who  is  neither  the  father  of  her  little  ones,  nor  even 
a  relative  of  the  family,  to  defend  and  bring  up  her 
children,  in  case  she  should  be  killed.  Never  having 
seen  this,  I  hadn't  much  faith  in  it ;  now,  having  seen 
it,  I  believe  it.  If  I  had  known  as  much  before,  I  should 
have  brought  two  of  you,  so  that  each  might  have  killed 
a  fine  animal ;  but  who  could  have  expected  such  a  thing? 
Not  thinking  to  shoot,  I  only  took  my  gun  by  way  of 
precaution,  in  case  the  Herr  I  was  going  with  should  miss 
tire,  and  find  himself  in  danger.  As  for  the  iron-shod 
boar-spear,  I  had  so  little  idea  of  using  it,  that  I  did  not 
even  look  to  see  whether  the  one  I  took  was  in' good  con- 
dition. Well  then,"  continued  the  danueman,  addressing 
Christian,  "  this  is  what  happened.  I  told  you  -that  I 
would  return  for  you  as  soon  as  I  had  posted  the  others, 
and  as  soon  as  this  was  done  I  intended  to  go  straight 
back  where  I  had  left  you.  But  some  beast  must  have 
disturbed  the  marks  I  made  last  night ;  for,  without  get- 
ting lost  exactly,  I  passed  directly  before  the  den,  and 
did  not  recognize  where  I  was,  until  it  was  too  late  to 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


4*3 


draw  back.  The  wicked  one  heard  me,  and  she  came 
against  me,  because  she  had  young  ones.  I  tried  to 
frighten  her  by  waving  my  arm,  so  as  to  make  her  return 
t&  her  house,  but  she  would  not  be  frightened,  she  rose  on 
her  hind  legs.  I  ripped  her  open  ;  I  had  to  do  it,  and 
at  the  same  time  I  called  twice.  At  the  sound  of  my 
voice  the  friend  came  to  the  door  of  the  house,  and,  to 
keep  him  from  escaping,  I  ran  and  stood  before  it,  with- 
out remembering  that  my  boar-spear  was  lying  broken 
by  the  mother.  I  thought  she  was  dead,  but  after  I  was 
standing  there  she  rose  up,  fell  down,  and  rose  up  again, 
twice.  Theu,  Ilerr  Christian,  the  time  seemed  very  long 
to  me  before  you  arrived ;  for,  on  the  one  side  I  had  the 
mother,  who,  at  any  moment,  might  recover  strength 
enough  to  throw  herself  upon  me,  and,  on  the  other,  the 
friend,  who  was  only  waiting  for  this  reinforcement  to 
begin  a  quarrel  with  me  himself,  without  counting  the 
two  young  ones,  who  I  knew  very  well  would  be  between 
my  legs  as  soon  as  the  fight  should  be  begun.  Against 
all  that  I  had  only  one  gun-shot,  and  that  was  not 
enough  !  I  did  not  even  dare  take  aim  ;  for,  at  the  sight  of 
a  weapon  aimed,  the  wicked  ones  come  to  the  point  more 
quickly.  I  was  frightened ;  I  can  acknowledge  it  now 
without  shame,  since  I  did  not  stir  a  foot,  and  since  the 
four  creatures  are  in  our  hands.  I  waited  for  you  —  it 
seemed  to  me  that  I  waited  a  year  —  and  yet  I  believe  you 
came  very  quickly,  Herr  Christian,  since  all  has  turned 
out  so  well  —  yes,  very  well  indeed,  I  declare,  and  you 
are  a  brave  man  !  I  am  sorry  there  should  have  been 
any  angry  words  between  us  beforehand.  But  it  is  all 
forgotten  ;  it  is  not  my  life  only  that  I  owe  you,  but  my 
heart,  just  as  much.  Come  and  embrace  me,  and  remem- 
ber that  I  look  upon  you  as  my  son." 

Christian  embraced  the  Dalecarlian  with  deep  emotion, 
and  the  latter  related  to  the  rest  of  the  party  how,  after 
quickly  despatching  the  she-bear,  body  to  body,  the  young 
man  had  killed  the  friend  very  opportunely,  by  lodging  a 
ball  in  his  head,  at  only  two  inches  from  his,  Boetsoi's, 
face.  Christian  objected  modestly  to  the  danneman's 
exaggeration  upon  this  latter  point ;  but  as  Boetsoi,  in 


4H 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


his  enthusiasm,  would  not  abate  a  jot  from  his  statement, 
and  as  there  were  no  means  of  proving  the  facts,  the  ex- 
ploit of  the  young  adventurer  assumed  colossal  propor- 
tions in  the  imagination  of  Larrson  and  his  friends'. 
Their  esteem  for  him  increased  accordingly,  aud  this  is 
not  at  all  surprising.  Presence  of  mind  is  the  highest 
faculty  of  true  courage.  We  pity  those  who  fail,  but 
we  admire  those  who  succeed.  Without  being  betrayed 
into  self-admiration,  Christian  felt  a  deep  satisfaction  at 
having  acquired  a  claim  to  the  friendship  of  the  danne- 
man,  whom  he  persisted  henceforth  in  regarding  as  his 
near  relative ;  but  he  was  very  careful  not  to  return  to 
his  imprudent  questions.  He  resolved  to  seek  the  truth 
elsewhere,  even  if  it  should  require  a  great  deal  of  time 
and  patience  to  arrive  at  it. 

The  weight  of  the  two  dead  bears,  especially  that  of  the 
female,  was  enormous  ;  together,  they  weighed  more  than 
four  hundred  pounds.  To  drag  them  over  that  rough 
country,  where  it  was  with  difficulty  that  you  could  make 
your  own  way,  seemed  impossible.  Even  horses  could 
not  have  accomplished  it.  As  the  day  had  reached  its 
meridian,  and  as  the  young  officers  wanted  to  join  the 
baron's  hunt,  they  found  themselves  embarrassed  with 
too  much  riches.  Even  the  cubs,  who  refused  to  walk, 
were  very  much  in  the  way. 

"Go  along  with  you,"  said  the  danneman  ;  "with  my 
children  I  will  soon  fell  two  or  three  young  trees,  and 
build  a  hurdle  ;  we  will  put  the  bears  on  that,  and  slide 
it  along  to  my  house.  From  there,  I  will  send  them  to 
you  by  my  sleigh  and  horse ;  they  shall  be  at  your 
bostoelle  in  two  hours,  so  that  you  can  show  them  to 
your  friends." 

"And  we  will  return  the  dead  animals  to  you  to- 
morrow," said  Larrson,  "for  we  would  not  trust  any 
one  else  to  skin  and  prepare  them.  Is  not  that  your  wish, 
Christian?" 

"Whatever  pleases  you  is  agreeable  to  me,"  replied 
Christian. 

"Not  at  all !"  the  major  rejoined  ;  "the  bear  we  pur- 
chased from  the  danneman  is  the  one  you  have  just  killed. 


THE   SNOW  MAN.  415 

It  belongs  to  you,  as  the  one  he  shot  belongs  to  him,  un- 
less he  is  willing  to  sell  it." 

"He  killed  them  both," said  Christian  ;  "I  did  nothing 
but  finish  his  work  ;  I  have  no  right  to  anything." 

An  animated  discussion  followed,  in  which  the  danne- 
mau  vied  with  his  guests  in  delicacy,  and  showed  that  he 
was  as  scrupulously  honest  as  themselves.  At  last  Chris- 
tian was  obliged  to  yield,  and  to  accept  the  she-bear  as  his 
prize.  The  two  cubs  were  purchased  from  the  danne- 
man  at  the  price  of  one  bear,  and  he  was  obliged  to  ac- 
cept, as  exclusively  his  own,  the  friend  of  Madame  Bear. 
Matters  being  thus  arranged,  the  major  and  his  friends 
wanted  to  carry  Christian  away  with  them,  but  he 
declined. 

"I  have  no  wish  to  go  to  the  baron's  hunt,"  he  said  ; 
"you  yourselves  told  me  that  it  is  not  at  all  interesting  in 
comparison  with  this  one,  and,  besides,  I  have  no  time. 
Remember  that  for  two  days  more  I  am  bound  by  con- 
tract to  keep  on  with  my  present  business.  I  will  remain 
here  and  help  the  danneman  carry  away  the  wicked  ones, 
after  which  I  will  avail  myself  of  his  sleigh,  to  return  as 
far  as  the  lake.  Do  not  forget  that  you  have  promised 
M.  Goefle  and  myself  to  come  and  see  us  at  Stollborg." 

"We  will  go  after  supper,  when  the  comedy  is  over," 
replied  the  major  ;  "you  can  rely  upon  us." 

"And  I,"  said  the  danneman  to  Christian,  "will  guar- 
antee that  you  shall  reach  the  lake  before  night." 

They  had  not  much  time  to  lose.  The  officers  returned 
to  their  country  sleighs,  and  the  danneman,  assisted  by 
Christian,  and  also  by  his  son  Olof,  and  his  eldest 
daughter,  who  now  joined  them,  proceeded,  with  great 
skill  and  quickness,  to  the  building  of  his  hand-sledge. 
When  completed,  and  loaded  with  the  game,  they  slid  it 
along  without  difficulty,  some  drawing,  and  the  others 
pushing  or  holding  it  back,  until  they  reached  the  chalet. 

As  soon  as  they  arrived,  Christian  looked  for  the  seer- 
ess.  The  curtain  of  the  bed  was  drawn  and  motionless. 
Was  she  still  there?  He  longed  to  see  this  mysterious 
woman  again,  and  to  try  and  talk  to  her,  but  he  dared 
not  approach  her  bed.  He  imagined  that  the  danneman 


416  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

kept  his  eye  upon  him,  and  that  he  would  have  been 
greatly  displeased  by  any  appearance  of  curiosity. 

The  youngest  of  the  danueman's  daughters  brought 
some  brandy,  made  in  the  house ;  that  famous  corn- 
brandy,  whose  manufacture  Gustavus  III.  afterwards 
made  a  state  monopoly,  thus  burdening  his  subjects  with  a 
heavy  and  vexatious  tax,  that  robbed  him  of  all  his  pop- 
ularity, and  reduced  to  their  former  poverty  the  very 
people  whom  he  had  freed  from  the  tyranny  of  the  nobles. 
Is  the  frequent  use  of  brandy  really  a  necessity  in  these 
rigorous  climates?  Christian  thought  not,  and  his  opin- 
ion was  strengthened  by  the  fact  that  this  special  bever- 
age, which  the  danneman  had  made  with  his  own  hands, 
and  of  which  he  was  very  proud,  was  so  strong  as  liter- 
ally to  take  the  skin  off  the  throat.  The  worthy  man 
urged  his  guest  to  drink  copiously ;  he  could  not  under- 
stand that  he  should  not  feel  the  necessity  of  getting  a 
little  intoxicated,  after  killing  two  bears.  But  Christian 
could  not  carry  his  good-nature  so  far  as  that.  He  would 
have  been  very  well  pleased  to  have  had  strength  and 
coolness  enough  to  get  Bretsoi  drunk,  without  losing  his 
own  head  ;  but,  as  it  was,  he  confined  himself  to  drink- 
ing some  tea,  left  for  him  by  the  major,  and  served  hot, 
in  a  wooden  cup,  very  tastefully  cut  and  carved  by  the 
youthful  Olof. 

The  young  man  was  a  little  mortified  at  having  enjoyed 
the  royal  pleasure  of  killing  a  bear  at  the  expense  of  his 
friends  ;  for,  in  a  Avord,  this  bear  was  the  property  of  the 
danneman,  as  all  game  belongs,  without  question,  to  the 
person  who  finds  it  on  his  lands.  They  had  made  Chris- 
tian a  present  of  his  prize  ;  that  is,  they  had  purchased  it 
for  him.  He  learned  with  pleasure  from  the  dannemau 
that  it  was  not  yet  paid  for.  The  major  and  his  friends, 
not  foreseeing  that  the  hunt  would  be  so  successful,  had 
not  brought  money  enough.  Christian  inquired  the 
price  of  the  animal. 

';  That  depends  upon  circumstances,"  said  the  daime- 
man,  proudly  ;  "  if  you  leave  me  the  beast,  as  is  some- 
times done,  it  is  simply  a  '  thank  you,'  which  I  owe  the 
person  who  helped  me  slay  him ;  but,  no  doubt,  Herr 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


417 


Christian,  you  will  want  the  skin,  the  claws,  the  fat,  and 
the  legs." 

"  I  don't  want  any  of  them  at  all,"  said  Christian, 
laughing.  "Good  heavens  !  what  should  I  do  with  them ? 
I  beg  you  to  keep  the  whole  animal,  Herr  Boetsoi,  and, 
as  I  presume  you  have  the  right  to  sell  rather  dearer  to 
those  who  have  enjoyed  the  privilege  of  hunting  on  your 
land  than  you  would  do  to  customers  purchasing  plainly 
and  simply  a  commodity,  I  beg  you  to  accept  thirty  da- 
lers  that  I  have  about  me  —  " 

Christian    finished  his  sentence  mentally  : 

"  And  which  is  all  that  I  possess." 

"  Thirty  dalers ! "  cried  the  danneman,  "  that  is  a 
great  deal.  You  are  very  rich,  then?" 

"  I  am  rich  enough  to  beg  you  to  accept  them." 

The  danneman  took  the  money,  looked  at  it,  and  then 
looked  at  Christian's  hands,  but  without  noticing  any- 
thing but  their  whiteness. 

"  Your  gold  is  good,"  he  said,  "  and  your  hand  is 
white.  You  are  not  a  laborer,  and  yet  you  eat  kakebroe 
like  a  Dalecarlian.  Your  face  belongs  to  this  country, 
and.  your  speech  does  not,  —  the  clothes  you  had  on 
when  you  came  here,  were  no  better  than  mine.  I  can 
see  one  thing,  anyhow,  and  that  is  that  you  are  proud ; 
you  don't  wish  your  friends,  who  gave  up,  for  your  sake, 
the  pleasure  of  killing  the  bear,  to  spend  their  money 
for  you." 

"  Precisely,  Herr  Boetsoi,  you  are  right." 

"Have  no  fear.  Joe  Boetsoi  is  an  honest  man  ;  he 
will  not  take  anything  from  your  friends,  since  you  leave 
him  the  game.  As  to  accepting  a  reward  from  you  — 
that  depends.  Can  you  swear  to  me,  on  your  honor,  that 
you  are  a  rich  young  man,  the  child  of  a  noble  family?" 

"  What  difference  does  it  make?  "  said  Christian. 

"  No,  no,"  resumed  the  danneman,  "you  have  saved 
my  life  ;  I  don't  say  much  about  that,  for  I  would  have 
done  as  much  for  you  ;  but  you  are  a  skilful  marksman, 
and  still  more,  you  are  a  man  who  can  listen  to  another. 
When  I  made  you  a  sign  over  yonder,  if  you  had  not 
been  willing  to  do  what  I  wished,  we  should  both  of  us 

27 


418 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


have  been  in  a  bad  way — and  I  especially,  without  my 
boar-spear,  and  with  my  arm  not  well  wrapped  up.  I 
am  very  much  pleased  with  you,  and  I  only  wish  that 
my  son  was  like  you  in  looks  and  character,  for  you  are 
both  brave  and  gentle.  So,  if  you  are  not  rich,  don't 
pretend  to  me  that  you  are.  Why  should  you  ?  I  am 
not  poor  myself.  In  my  plain  house,  such  as  it  is,  I 
want  for  nothing ;  and  if  you  are  in  any  need  you  can 
apply  to  Joe  Bcetsoi.  He  would  have  no  trouble  at  all 
in  finding  thirty  dalers,  or  even  a  hundred,  to  render  a 
service  to  a  friend." 

"I  am  sure  of  it,  Herr  Boetsoi,"  said  Christian,  "  and 
I  may  possibly  return  to  you  (and  if  I  do  it  will  be  with 
entire  confidence) ,  not  to  ask  you  for  a  hundred  or  for 
thirty  dalers,  but  to  beg  you  to  give  me  employment. 
I  don't  say  this  is  certain,  but  it  may  happen,  and  in  that 
case  I  should  come  to  you  with  much  more  pleasure  if 
I  pay  you  now  what  I  owe  you,  and  what  a  rich  man 
would  pay  you.  I  did  not  come  here  in  the  character  of 
a  poor  man  ;  you  do  not  owe  me  anything." 

"  I  don't  want  any  payment,"  said  the  danneman ; 
"  take  back  your  money,  and  come  to  me  when  .  you 
choose.  What  can  you  do?" 

"  Whatever  you  will  teach  me,  I  will  do  quickly." 

The  danneman  smiled. 

"That  is  to  say,"  he  said,  "that  you  don't  know  how 
to  do  anything." 

"I  can  kill  bears,  at  any  rate." 

"  Yes,  and  very  well  too.  You  know  how  to  handle  an 
axe  also,  and  to  cut  wood  ;  I  saw  that.  But  would  you 
be  able  to  travel?" 

"  That  is  what  I  can  do  best  of  all." 

"Can  you  sleep  on  a  bench?" 

"  Yes,  or  on  a  stone." 

"Can  you  speak  Laplandish,  Samoi'ede,  Russian?" 

"No,  I  can  speak  Italian,  Spanish,  French,  German 
and  English." 

"  That  would  do  me  no  good,  but  it  shows  me  that 
you  can  learn  to  speak  in  various  tongues.  Very  well, 
come  when  you  choose,  before  the  end  of  the  month  of 


ThE  SNOW  MAN. 


419 


"Tlior  (January),  and,  if  you  would  like  to  go  to  Dront- 
hcim,  or  even  farther,  I  shall  be  very  glad  not  to  travel 
alone  ;  or,  if  I  should  take  Olof  with  me,  for  he  is  tor- 
menting me  to  let  him  begin  to  travel,  you  can  look  after 
my  house.  My  two  daughters  are  betrothed,  I  give  you 
fair  warning.  Avoid  giving  their  lovers  any  occasion 
for  jealousy  ;  it  would  be  at  your  own  risk.  Take  care 
of  Aunt  Karine  ;  she  is  gentle,  but  she  must  not  be  con- 
tradicted :  I  have  forbidden  it  once  for  all." 

"  I  will  care  for  her  as  if  she  Avere  my  mother,"  re- 
plied Christian,  deeply  moved ;  "  but  tell  me,  is  she  ill 
or  infirm?  Why?  —  " 

"They  will  tell  you  that,  if  you  come  to  the  house. 
What  wages  do  you  want  ?  " 

"  Nothing." 

"  How,  nothing?" 

"Bread  and  shelter  ;  is  not  that  enough?" 

"Herr  Christian,"  said  the  danneman,  frowning,  "you 
are  then  either  lazy  or  a  bad  fellow,  since  you  do  not 
think  of  the  future." 

Christian  saw,  that  by  being  too  disinterested,  he  had 
caused  the  danneman  to  distrust  him. 

"Do  you  know  M.  Goefle?"  he  said. 

"The  lawyer?  Yes,  very  well;  it  was  I  who  sold 
him  his  horse.  He  is  a  good  horse,  and  the  lawyer  is  an 
honest  man  ! " 

"Very  good;  he  will  answer  for  me.  Will  that  be 
satisfactory  ?  " 

"Yes,  it  is  settled.     Take  back  your  money." 

"  Suppose  I  should  ask  you  to  keep  it  for  me?" 

"Why  so,  is  it  stolen  money?"  cried  the  danneman, 
becoming  suspicious  again. 

Christian  began  to  laugh,  and  was  obliged  to  confess 
that  he  was  a  very  poor  diplomat. 

"Believe  me,"  he  said  to  the  danneman,  "I  am 
straightforward  and  sincere.  Every  one  gives  me  the 
credit  of  having  an  honest  face,  and  I  am  not  accus- 
tomed, therefore,  to  having  my  word  doubted.  If  you 
don't  take  my  thirty  dalers  to-day,  the  major  will  give 
them  to  you  to-morrow,  and  that  would  annoy  me." 


420 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


"The  major  will  not  give  me  anything,  for  I  will  not 
accept  anything,"  replied  the  danneman,  with  energy. 
"It  is  you,  now,  who  are  doubting  me." 

Christian  was  obliged  to  resign  the  satisfaction  of 
leaving  his  small  fortune  in  this  house,  which  was  per- 
haps his  mother's  refuge.  The  discussion,  though  hon- 
orable in  itself,  might  have  degenerated  into  a  quarrel, 
for  the  danneman  was  feeding  his  ingenuous  pride  as  a 
free  peasant  with  rather  too  plentiful  potations  of  brandy. 
Besides,  the  sleigh  was  ready,  and  Christian  had  to 
start.  Nothing  would  have  induced  him  to  fail  in  either 
of  his  two  performances,  for  which  he  was  to  receive  a 
hundred  dalers  ;  a  sum  that  would  enable  him  to  begin 
the  new  life  he  was  dreaming  about,  without  being 
indebted  to  anybody. 

He  thought  the  danneman  intended  to  accompany  him  ; 
but,  instead  of  getting  into  the  sleigh,  he  gave  the  reins 
to  his  son,  enjoining  him  at  the  same  time  to  drive  care- 
fully, and  to  return  early. 

"  I  hoped  to  have  the  pleasure  of  your  company  as  far 
as  Waldemora,"  said  Christian  to  the  danneman. 

"  No ! "  replied  the  latter,  "  I  never  go  to  Walde- 
mora, for  my  part.  I  should  have  to  be  carried  there 
by  force.  Farewell,  until  we  meet  again." 

There  was  so  much  haughtiness  and  disdain  in  the 
danneman's  tone  when  he  spoke  of  Waldemora,  that 
Christian,  as  he  shook  hands  with  him,  felt  afraid  that 
he  would  notice  the  conformation  of  his  fingers,  and 
that  their  resemblance  to  the  baron's,  whether  accidental 
or  inherited,  would  destroy  all  their  friendship ;  but  the 
deformity  was  so  slight  that  the  danneman,  with  his 
rough  hand,  did  not  notice  it  at  all,  and  several  times, 
as  his  guest  was  driving  away,  he  sent  after  him  a 
cordial  farewell. 

In  spite  of  his  father's  recommendations,  Olof  drove 
his  little  horse  to  the  bottom  of  the  valley  at  a  full 
gallop,  while  he  himself  stood  up  on  the  front  seat  of  the 
vehicle  with  the  reins  twisted  round  his  arms,  at  the 
risk  of  being  hurled  to  a  distance  in  case  of  an  upset, 
and  of  having  his  wrists  dislocated,  at  the  very  least. 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


421 


XIV. 


HPHE  danneman's  sleigh  was  not  so  light  as  the  one 
•*•  in  which  the  major  had  brought  Christian  to  the 
chalet,  but  fortunately  it  was  more  solid,  for  the  young 
Dalecarlian  did  not  condescend  to  avoid  either  rock  or 
hole.  Instead  of  allowing  the  horse — the  more  intel- 
ligent of  the  two — to  go  as  his  instinct  should  direct,  he 
made  the  drive,  dangerous  under  any  circumstances, 
blunderingly  foolhardy,  by  whipping  and  opposing  him 
at  every  point.  Christian,  who  was  lying  in  the  midst 
of  the  four  bears,  two  of  them  dead  and  two  living, 
said  to  himself  that  he  would  fall  softly,  unless  they 
should  be  flung  to  one  side  and  he  to  the  other. 
At  last,  irritated  at  seeing  the  danneman's  horse  mal- 
treated without  any  advantage  to  any  one,  he  took  the 
reins  and  the  whip  abruptly,  saying  to  the  young  lad,  in 
a  tone  indicating  his  displeasure,  that  he  preferred  driv- 
ing himself. 

Olof  was  good-natured  and  gentle  ;  he  only  put  on 
his  terrible  airs  out  of  vanity,  so  as  to  appear  like  a 
man.  He  began  singing  a  Swedish  song,  both  to  amuse 
himself  and  to  show  his  companion  that  he  pronounced 
the  mother-tongue  more  purely  than  the  other  members 
of  the  family.  Remarking  this,  Christian  determined  to 
have  a  talk  with  him. 

"Why,"  said  he,  "did  you  not  come  with  us  when 
we  went  to  the  hunt?  Have  you  never  yet  seen  a  bear 
erect?" 

"Aunt  would  never  let  me,"  replied  the  young  lad, 
with  a  sigh. 

"Aunt  Karine?" 

"  There  is  no  other  at  our  house." 

"And  you  have  to  do  everything  she  says?" 

"Everything." 

"Has  she  predicted  that  you  would  have  bad  luck?" 

"She  says  that  I  am  too  young." 

"  She  is  right,  perhaps." 


422 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


"It  must  be  so,  since  she  says  so." 

"She  is  a  woman,  it  seems,  who  knows  more  than 
others?" 

"She  knows  everything,  since  she  talks  With  —  " 

"With  whom  does  she  talk?" 

"  I  must  not  speak  about  that ;  my  father  will  not 
allow  it?" 

"Because  he  is  afraid  that  people  will  laugh  at  his 
sister  ;  but  he  has  no  fear  of  that  with  me,  for  he  told 
me  to  ask  her  what  luck  I  should  have  in  the  hunt." 

"And  did  she  tell  you?" 

"She  did.     Where  did  she  learn  her  science?" 

"  She  learned  it  where  she  still  learns  it :  in  the  water- 
falls where  girls  who  have  died  for  love  weep,  and  on 
the  lakes  where  the  men  of  past  times  return." 

"  She  is  still  able  to  walk,  then?" 

"She  is  not  old  ;  she  is  only  fifty." 

"But  I  thought  she  was  infirm?" 

"  She  can  walk  quicker  and  farther  than  you." 

"  Then  she  js  ill  just  at  present,  since  she  remained 
in  bed  while  we  were  at  breakfast  ? " 

"  She  is  not  ill.  She  is  often  tired  like  that,  when  she 
has  been  standing  up  a  long  time." 

"I  thought  she  did  not  work?" 

"She  does  not  work;  she  talks,  or  she  walks;  she 
sings,  or  she  prays ;  and,  whether  by  night  or  day,  she 
watches  until  she  drops  with  fatigue.  Then  she  sleeps 
so  long,  that  you  would  think  she  was  dead ;  but  some- 
times you  are  very  much  surprised,  in  the  morning, 
when  you  go  to  her  bed,  to  find  that  she  is  neither  there, 
nor  in  the  house,  nor  on  the  mountains,  nor  anywhere, 
where  any  one  else  can  go." 

"And  where  do  you  suppose  she  is,  when  she  disap- 
pears in  this  way?" 

"  Some  say  that  she  goes  to  Blakulla  ;  but  you  must  not 
believe  them ! " 

"What  is  Blakulla?  The  rendezvous  of  witches?" 

"Yes,  the  black  mountain  where  those  wicked  women 
take  the  little  children  whom  they  steal  while  they  are 
asleep,  and  whom  they  carry  to  Satan  on  the  horse 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


423 


Skjults,  who  looks  like  a  flying  cow.  Then  Satan  takes 
and  marks  them  by  biting  them,  either  on  the  forehead  or 
the  little  fingers,  and  they  keep  that  mark  all  their  lives. 
But  I  know  very  well  why  they  say  that  of  my  aunt 
Karine." 

"And  why?" 

"Because  a  long  time  ago,  before  I  was  born,  it  seems 
that  she  brought  a  little  child  to  the  house,  whose  fingers 
had  been  bitten  by  the  devil.  My  father  would  not  look 
at  him  at  first,  but  in  a  little  while  he  began  to  love 
him,  and  he  says  that  my  aunt  is  a  good  Christian,  and 
that  all  people  say  of  her  is  false.  The  pastor  finds  noth- 
ing to  blame  in  her,  and  he  says,  since  she  needs  to  run 
about  in  her  sleep,  she  must  be  allowed  to  do  so.  Be- 
sides, she  has  declared  herself,  that  she  would  die,  and 
that  great  misfortunes  would  happen,  if  she  should  be 
shut  up.  That  is  why  she  goes  where  she  wishes  ;  and 
my  father  says  it  is  better  not  to  know  where  she  goes, 
because  she  has  secrets  that  she  could  not  help,  perhaps, 
disclosing,  if  she  should  be  followed  and  watched." 

"  And  did  no  accident  ever  happen  to  her  while  sttte  is 
walking  thus  sound  asleep  ?  " 

"  Never  ;  and  perhaps  she  is  not  really  asleep  when  she 
walks, —  how  does  any  one  know  ?  It  is  certain,  anyhow, 
that  we  are  sometimes  three  days  and  three. nights  with- 
out knowing  whether  she  will  return,  but  she  always 
comes  back,  some  time  or  other  ;  and  then,  when  she  has 
slept  and  dreamed,  she  is  no  longer  ill,  and  she  prophe- 
sies things  that  always  happen.  Stay,  this  morning — 
But  my  father  forbade  me  to  repeat  it ! " 

"  If  you  tell  me,  Olof,  it  is  as  if  you  told  these  stones." 

"  Do  you  swear  on  the  Bible  not  to  repeat  it?" 

"I  swear  on  whatever  you  choose." 

"Well,"  replied  Olof,  who  so  seldom  found  anyone  to 
talk  to  in  the  solitude  of  his  mountain  home,  that  he  was 
quite  delighted  at  securing  the  attention  of  the  handsome 
stranger,  "  this  is  what  .*hc  said  whoa  she  woke  up  at 
day-break.  '  The  great  iarl  is  going  forth  to  the  hunt. 
To  the  hunt  the  iarl  and  his  suite  are  departing.'  The 
iarl,  you  know,  is  the  Baron  de  "Waldemora !" 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 

"Ah,  ah!  He  has  really  gone  hunting.  But  your 
aunt  may  have  heard  that." 

"  Yes,  but  the  rest,  you  will  see  :  'The  iarl  will  leave 
his  soul  at  the  house  ;  at  the  house  he  will  leave  his  soul' 
—  wait,  wait  until  I  think  of  the  rest; — she  sang  it — 
I  know  the  air,  the  air  will  remind  me  of  the  words." 

And  Olof  began  to  sing  the  oracle  to  an  air  that  might 
have  brought  the  devil,  in  person,  to  the  spot. 

"  '  And  when  the  iarl  shall  return  to  the  house,  when  he 
returns  to  the  house  to  rejoin  his  soul,  the  soul  of  the  iarl 
will  no  longer  be  there.'  " 

Just  as  the  young  Dalecarlian  had  finished  these  mys- 
terious words,  a  sleigh,  advancing  at  great  speed,  began 
rapidly  to  gain  upon  them,  and  the  resounding  voice  of 
the  coachman  cried  imperiously,  "  Room !  room!"  At 
the  same  time  he  whipped  savagely  his  four  horses,  who 
had  been  terrified,  while  still  at  a  distance,  by  the  odor 
of  the  bears  brought  by  Christian.  They  had  left  the 
mountain,  and  were  on  a  narrow  road  running  along  the 
edge  of  a  gorge,  and  which  led  to  the  lake.  Christian, 
fearing  that  they  would  be  upset  unless  he  should  get 
out  of  the  way,  and  seeing  no  means  of  accomplishing 
this  unless  by  pitching  headlong  into  the  stream  at 
the  bottom  of  the  gorge,  Avhipped  the  danneman's  horse 
so  as  to  get  forward  and  reach  a  place  where  there  would 
be  room  for  the  other  vehicle  to  pass  ;  but,  just  as  he 
had  succeeded  in  drawing  a  little  to  the  right,  the  brutal 
coachman  of  the  advancing  sleigh  urged  forward  his 
fiery  horses,  the  two  vehicles  grazed,  and  were  upset  si- 
multaneously. 

Christian  found  himself  on  the  earth  with  Olof  and  his 
four  bears,  and  so  effectually  buried  in  the  snow  piled  up 
along  the  edge  of  the  road,  that  it  took  him  some  time  to 
discover  whereabouts,  and  in  what  company,  he  had  been 
interred  in  this  fashion.  The  first  voice  that  struck  upon 
his  ear,  the  first  face  that  rejoiced  his  sight,  were  the  face 
and  voice  of  the  illustrious  Professor  Stangstadius.  The 
learned 'man  had  not  been  at  all  injured;  but  he  was 
furious,  and,  making  his  first  attack  upon  Christian,  who 
was  not  masked,  and  with  whom,  as  he  arose,  he  found 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


425 


himself  face  to  face,  he  overwhelmed  him  with  insults, 
and  threatened  him  with  divine  vengeance  and  the  mal- 
edictions of  the  universe. 

"There,  there,  gently,  gently!"  replied  Christian, 
helping  him  to  get  up  upon  his  unequal  legs  once  more  ; 
"  you  have  no  bones  broken,  Monsieur  Professor,  God  be 
praised!  I  call  the  universe  and  heaven  to  witness  how 
glad  I  am  !  But,  if  it  is  you  who  drive  your  equipage  so 
crazily,  I  must  say  that  you  are  not  very  considerate  of 
people  whose  horses  are  not  as  good  as  yours.  There 
now,  leave  me  alone,"  he  added,  quietly  pushing  away 
the  geologist,  who  was  attempting  to  seize  him  by  the 
collar,  "or  else,  the  first  time  I  meet  you  on  the  lake,  I 
will  leave  you  to  freeze  there,  instead  of  bruising  my 
shoulders  by  carrying  you." 

The  professor,  without  seeking  to  recognize  Christian, 
continued  declaiming,  to  prove  to  him  that  it  was  his 
fault  that  the  accident  had  happened,  when  Christian, 
who  was  only  thinking  of  picking  up  his  game  and  Olof, 
noticed,  in  the  midst  of  the  four  bears,  a  man  of  lofty 
stature,  stretched  out  and  motionless,  with  his  face  to  the 
earth.  At  the  same  time,  a  young  man,  dressed  in  black, 
and  pale  with  terror,  came  from  the  opposite  bank,  where 
he  had  been  thrown,  and  running  forward,  cried  : 

"The  baron  !     Where  is  the  baron?" 

"What  baron?",  said  Christian,  who  had  just  lifted  up 
the  swooning  man,  and  was  supporting  him  in  his  arms. 

At  this  moment  the  son  of  the  danneman  pushed  Chris- 
tian with  his  shoulder,  and  whispered  : 

"  The  iarl !  look  at  the  iarl !  " 

The  baron's  young  physician  hastened  to  remove  his 
fur  cap,  which  had  got  pulled  down  over  the  invalid's 
face,  so  that  he  was  in  danger  of  suffocating  ;  and  Chris- 
tian came  very  near  opening  his  strong  arms  and  letting  him 
fall  back  into  the  snow,  on  recognizing,  with  an  insur- 
mountable horror,  in  the  dying  man  whom  he  was  trying 
to  succor,  the  Baron  Olaus  de  Waldemora. 

They  stretched  him  out  on  the  pile  of  bears  ;  'it  was 
the  best  bed  possible  under  the  circumstances,  and  the 
terrified  physician  implored  Stangstadius,  who  had  for- 


426  THE  SNO  W  MAN. 

merly  taken  a  degree  as  a  physician,  to  assist  him  with 
his  advice  and  experience,  in  a  case  which  seemed  to 
him  extremely  grave.  Stangstadius,  who  was  making 
ready  to  try  all  his  joints,  to  satisfy  himself  that  he  was 
not  more  damaged  than  usual,  consented,  at  last^  to  pay 
some  attention  to  the  only  person  whom  the  overturn 
seemed  to  have  seriously  endangered. 

"  Parbleu!"  he  said,  looking  at  the  baron,  and  touch- 
ing him ;  ;'it  is  perfectly  plain  :  the  pulse  inert,  the  face 
purple,  the  lips  swollen,  a  death  rattle,  and,  notwithstand- 
ing, no  injury  —  It  is  as  clear  as  day  ;  it  is  a  fit  of  apo- 
plexy. He  must  be  bled  —  bled  quickly,  and  abundantly." 

The  young  physician  looked  for  his  case  of  surgical 
instruments,  and  could  not  find  it.  Christian  and  Olof 
assisted  him  in  his  search,  but  with  no  better  fortune. 
The  baron's  fiery  horses  had  run  away  with  his  sleigh, 
and,  by  this  time,  it  was  almost  out  of  sight.  The 
coachman,  thinking  that  his  master  would  have  him 
beaten  to  death  for  his  awkwardness,  was  running  after 
it,  half  crazy,  and  startling  the  desolate  silence  with  his 
imprecations. 

As  the  danneman's  docile  horse  had  stopped  short, 
they  talked  of  putting  the  invalid  in  the  peasant's  sleigh, 
and  removing  him  to  the  chateau  as  quickly  as  possible. 
Stangstadius  protested  that  he  would  be  dead  before  they 
could  arrive.  The  doctor,  out  of  his  senses,  proposed 
running  after  the  runaway  horses,  so  as  to  look  for  his 
case  in  the  baron's  sleigh.  At  last  he  found  it  in  his 
pocket,  where,  thanks  to  his  agitation,  he  had  touched  it 
a  dozen  times  without  feeling  it ;  but  his  hand  trembled 
so,  when  the  moment  came  to  open  the  vein,  that  Stang- 
stadius, who  was  perfectly  indifferent  to  anything  outside 
himself,  and  who,  besides,  was  very  well  pleased  at  being 
able  to  prove  his  superiority  in  all  respects,  was  obliged 
to  take  the  lancet  and  do  his  work  for  him. 

Christian,  who  was  standing  near  by,  contemplated, 
with  deep  inward  emotion,  this  strange  and  gloomy  pic- 
ture, lighted  by  the  pale  gleams  of  the  setting  sun  :•  this 
man,  with  his  powerful  frame  and  terrible  countenance, 
tossing  convulsively  on  his  strange  couch,  —  a  confused 


THE  SNOW  MAN.  427 

pile  of  corpses  of  ferocious  beasts ;  his  large,  white 
arm,  from  which  a  stream  of  black  blood,  congealing 
upon  the  snow  as  it  fell,  was  slowly  flowing ;  the  young 
physician,  with  his  mild,  pusillanimous  face,  upon  Iris 
knees  by  his  terrible  patient,  and  seemingly  divided  be- 
tween the  fear  of  seeing  him  die  under  his  hands,  and 
a  childish  terror  at  the  growling  of  the  still  living  bears 
by  his  side  ;  the  overturned  sleigh,  the  scattered  weapons  ; 
the  startled  look  of  the  young  danneman,  through  which 
—  strangely  blending  with  his  terror  —  flashed  a  gleam 
of  malignant  satisfaction ;  the  thin  horse  smoking  after 
his  rapid  race,  as  he  indifferently  ate  the  snow ;  and, 
above  all,  the  fantastic  face  of  Stangstadius,  lighted  up 
by  a  smile  of  triumph  which  had  become  his  habitual 
expression,  and  his  sharp  voice,  haranguing  about  all  that 
had  happened,  in  a  self-satisfied  and  pedantic  tone.  It 
was  a  scene  never  to  be  forgotten  :  a  group  at  the  same 
time  laughable  and  tragic  ;  at  a  first  glance,  perhaps,  in- 
comprehensible. 

"My  poor  doctor,"  said  Stangstadius,  "there  is  no  use 
in  hiding  it,  if  your  invalid  escapes  he  will  be  lucky ! 
But  don't  imagine  it  is  the  upset  that  has  brought  on  this 
fit ;  it  has  been  threatening  for  the  last  twenty-four  hours. 
How  is  it  that  you  did  not  foresee  it?" 

"  I  foresaw  it  plainly,"  said  the  young  doctor  rather 
spitefully,  "and  told  you  so  an  hour  ago,  Monsieur 
Stangstadius,  when  he  received  that  letter  at  the  hunting 
pavilion,  that  disturbed  him  so  ;  as  he  read  it,  his  very 
features  grew  distorted.  It  is  not  my  fault  if  you  have 
forgotten  what  I  said.  I  did  everything  in  my  power  to 
prevent  his  lordship  from  going  to  the  hunt.  He  would 
not  listen  to  anything ;  the  most  he  would  consent  to, 
was  to  allow  me  to  accompany  him  in  his  sleigh." 

"  By  heavens !  a  valuable  assistant  you  are  !  If  I 
had  not  offered  to  return  with  the  two  of  you,  when  I 
saw  that  he  was  not  in  a  condition  to  hunt,  he  would 
probably  have  stifled  here.  You  would  not  have  had 
presence  of  mind  enough — " 

"You  are  very  hard  upon  young  people,  Monsieur  Pro- 
fessor," replied  the  physician,  more  and  more  offended ; 


428 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


"  there  is  some  excuse  for  losing  your  presence  of  mind 
when  you  have  just  been  thrown  ten  feet  out  of  a  sleigh, 
and  are  no  sooner  up  again  than  you  are  called  upon  to 
judge,  at  the  first  glance,  of  what  is  perhaps  a  hopeless 
case." 

"A  fine  matter,  truly,  a  fall  in  the  snow!"  said  M. 
Stangstadius,  shrugging  the  one  shoulder  which  was  obe- 
dient to  his  will.  "If  you  had  fallen,  as  I  did,  into  the 
bottom  of  the  shaft  of  a  well !  A  fall  of  fifty  feet,  seven 
inches,  and  five  lines,  a  swoon  lasting  six  hours,  fifty- 
three  —  " 

"  Goodness  gracious !  Monsieur  Professor,  it  is  the 
swoon  of  my  patient  that  I  am  troubled  about,  and  not 
yours !  What  is  past  is  past.  Will  you  be  so  good  as 
to  hold  his  arm,  while  I  look  for  a  ligature  ?  " 

"No,  not  at  all ;  the  fact  is  that  there  are  some  people 
who  complain  about  everything,"  continued  Stangstadius, 
coming  and  going,  without  listening  to  the  doctor. 

Then,  forgetting  that  he  had  just  been  in  a  terrible 
rage  against  Christian,  the  quick-tempered,  but  really 
good-natured  worthy,  turned  gayly  to  him. 

"Did  I  so  much  as  turn  pale,"  he  said,  "Avhen  I 
found  myself-  under  those  four  animals  —  without  count- 
ing the  two  others,  you  and  your  comrade?  Two  awk- 
ward clowns,  be  it  said  in  passing  !  But  Avhat  matter  a 
few  bruises  more  or  less,  after  all  ?  I  did  not  even  think 
of  myself !  I  was  all  ready  to  give  an  opinion  about  the 
invalid,  and  to  bleed  him.  My  eye  rapid  and  sure,  my 
hand  firm!  —  How  now — where  the  devil  have  I  seen 
you?"  he  continued,  still  addressing  Christian,  and  for- 
getting all  about  the  sick  man.  "Did  you  kill  all  these 
beasts  ?  There  is  a  fine  prize,  to  be  sure,  a  bear  of  the 
large  kind,  the  brown  species  with  blue  eyes !  When 
one  thinks  that  that  imbecile  of  a  Buffon  —  But  where 
did  you  meet  with  it  ?  It  is  rare  in  this  country  !  " 

"You  must  excuse  me  from  replying,  at  present," 
said  Christian  ;  "  the  doctor  requires  my  help." 

"Let  him  alone  —  let  the  blood  flow;"  remarked  the 
geologist,  quietly. 

"No,  no,  he  has  lost  enough!"  cried  J;he  physician; 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


429 


"  the  bleeding  has  had  a  good  effect.  Come  and  see, 
Monsieur  Professor  ;  but  we  must  not  abuse  the  remedy  ; 
it  is  as  dangerous  now,  as  the  evil  it  is  to  counteract." 

Christian,  not  without  a  shudder  of  mortal  and  inex- 
plicable repugnance,  held  the  baron's  cold,  heavy  arm, 
while  the  physician  closed  the  vein.  The  sick  man 
opened  his  eyes,  and  soon  tried  to  make  out  where  he 
was.  His  first  glance  was  for  the  strange  bed  where  he 
was  lying,  the  second  for  his  blood-stained  arm,  and  the 
third  for  his  trembling  physician. 

"  Ah  !"  he  exclaimed,  in  a  feeble  voice,  and  in  a  scorn- 
ful tone,  "you  have  been  bleeding  me  !  I  forbade  it." 

"It  was  necessary,  your  lordship;  you  are  much  bet- 
ter, thank  heaven  ! "  replied  the  doctor. 

The  baron  was  too  weak  to  argue.  He  tried  to  look 
around  him  with  his  faded  eyes,  in  which  appeared  an 
expression  of  gloomy  anxiety  ;  but,  when  he  saw  Chris- 
tian's face,  his  eyes  dilated,  and  fastened  upon  him  with 
a  stupefied  stare.  At  that  moment,  Christian  was  bend- 
ing forward  to  help  the  physician  to  lift  him  up ;  he 
repulsed  him  with  a  convulsive  gesture  ;  and  the  faint 
semblance  of  a  lifelike  hue,  that  was  beginning  to  return 
to  his  face,  was  succeeded  by  a  livid  pallor. 

"Open  the  vein  again,"  cried  Stangstadius  to  the  doc- 
tor; "I  knew  you  were  closing  it  too  soon.  Did  I  not 
tell  you  so?  Open  it,  and  afterwards  leave  him  quiet 
for  at  least  five  minutes." 

"But  the  cold,  Monsieur  Professor,"  said  the  physi- 
cian, obeying  Stangstadius  mechanically  ;  "  are  you  not 
afraid  that  the  cold  will  be  fatal,  under  such  circum- 
stances?" 

"  Bah  !  the  cold  !  "  replied  Stangstadius  ;  "  I  laugh 
at  the  cold  of  the  atmosphere  !  The  cold  of  death  is 
much  worse !  Let  him  bleed,  I  tell  you,  and  then  let 
him  rest.  You  must  follow  the  prescription,  come  what 
may." 

Turning  to  Christian,  he  added  : 

"  The  tall  baron  is  in  a  bad  scrape.  I  would  not  like 
to  be  in  his  skin  just  now.  There  now  —  where  the 
devil  have  I  seen  you?" 


430 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


Just  then  he  picked  up  something  on  the  snow,  which 
set  him  running  on  a  new  tack. 

"What  is  that  piece  of  red  stone  doing  here?"  he 
cried;  "a  fragment  of  porphyry,  in  a  region  of  gneiss 
and  basalt?  You  must  have  brought  it  from  up  yon- 
der," he  added,  pointing  to  the  peaks  rising  to  the  west. 
"  It  was  in  your  pocket.  Ah  !  you  see  it  is  not  very 
easy  to  deceive  me  !  I  know  the  character  and  form  of 
all  the  rocks  at  ten  leagues  distance  !  " 

The  baron's  sleigh  finally  returned,  and  a  few  mo- 
ments afterwards,  as  he  began  to  seem  a  little  better 
again,  they  were  able  to  close  the  vein,  and  place  the 
sick  man  in  his  equipage,  which  proceeded  slowly  to  the 
chateau,  while  Christian  started,  in  advance,  with  the  son 
of  the  danneman. 

"Well,"  said  the  young  lad,  when  they  had  left  the 
gloomy  vehicle  behind  them,  "what  was  I  telling  you 
when  it  happened?  What  did  my  aunt  Karine  say?" 

"I  did  not  understand  the  song  very  well,"  said 
Christian,  absorbed  in  his  thoughts;  "it  was  not  very 
cheerful,  I  remember." 

'"He  left  his  soul  at  the  house,'"  repeated  Olof; 
" '  and  when  he  shall  come  to  rejoin  it,  he  will  no  longer 
find  it.'  Is  not  that  perfectly  plain,  Herr  Christian? 
The  iarl  was  ill ;  he  wanted  to  shake  off  his  malady ; 
but  his  soul  did  not  want  to  go  to  the  hunt,  and  with 
good  reason,  perhaps,  for  it  is  bound  now  on  a  villanous 
journey ! " 

"You  hate  the  iarl!"  said  Christian.  "You  think 
his  soul  is  going  to  hell ! " 

"As  to  that,  God  knows!  But  as  to  hating  him,  I 
don't  hate  him  any  more  than  every  one  does.  You  don't 
love  him  yourself,  do  you?" 

"I  —  I  do  not  know,"  replied  Christian,  shuddering 
inwardly  at  the  consciousness  of  the  hate  which  filled 
his  heart,  more  intense,  perhaps,  than  was  felt  by  any 
other  person. 

"Well,  if  he  gets  well,"  resumed  the  lad,  "you  will 
hear  about  it !  He  will  soon  find  out  who  upset  him, 
and,  if  you  are  wise,  you  will  quit  the  country." 


THE  SNOW  MAN.  431 

"So,  then,  every  one  believes  that  it  will  not  do  to 
offend  him?" 

"  Good  gracious  !  He  poisoned  his  father,  he  stabbed 
his  brother  with  a  dagger,  and  he  starved  his  sister-in- 
law  ;  and  he  has  killed  ever  so  many  other  people  be- 
sides that  my  aunt  Karinc  knows  about,  and  that  every 
one  would  know  about,  if  she  would  speak ;  but  she 
will  not!" 

"And  don't  you  feel  afraid  that  the  baron's  anger  will 
be  directed  against  you,  when  he  shall  learn  that  it  is 
your  father's  sleigh  that  upset  him?" 

"It  is  not  the  fault  of  the  sleigh,  and  mine  still  less. 
You  would  drive !  If  I  had  been  driving  it  would  not 
have  happened,  perhaps  ;  but  what  is  to  happen,  hap- 
pens ;  and  when  harm  befalls  wicked  men,  it  is  because 
it  is  the  will  of  God  !  " 

But  Christian,  constantly  haunted  by  the  dreadful  idea 
that  had  taken  possession  of  him,  shuddered  at  the 
thought  that  destiny  had  perhaps  chosen  him  as  the 
parricidal  instrument  for  accomplishing  the  baron's  de- 
struction. 

"No,  no!"  he  cried,  in  answer  to  his  own  thoughts, 
rather  than  to  the  son  of  the  danneman  ;  "I  did,  not 
cause  his  fit.  The  physicians  said  that  he  had  been 
doomed  for  twenty-four  hours." 

"And  my  aunt  Karine  said  so  too!"  rejoined  Olof; 
"  so  you  can  rest  easy,  he  will  not  recover." 

Thereupon,  Olof  began  humming  the  sad  refrain 
which  reminded  Christian  more  and  more  of  the  melan- 
choly air  which  he  had  heard  the  previous  evening 
among  the  boulders. 

"Does  not  your  aunt  Karine  sometimes  go  to  Stoll- 
borg?"  he  asked  of  Olof. 

"To  Stollborg?"  said  the  lad.  "I  should  only  be- 
lieve it  if  I  saw  it." 

"Why?" 

"Because  she  does  not  like  that  place;  she  will  not 
even  allow  it  to  be  named  where  she  is." 

"Why  so?" 

"Who  can  tell?     And  yet,  in  former  years,  when  the 


432 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


.  Baroness  Hilda  was  alive,  she  lived  there  ;  but  I  cannot 
tell  you  anything  more  about  it, -because  I  have  told  you 
now  all  that  I  know ;  we  never  speak,  at  our  house, 
either  of  Stollborg  or  of  Waldemora  ! " 

Christian  felt  that  there  would  be  something  indel- 
icate in  questioning  the  young  danneman  about  the  rela- 
tions that  may  have  existed  between  his  aunt  and  the 
baron  ;  besides,  he  had  become  so  gloomy  and  depressed, 
that  he  had  not  the  heart,  for  the  moment,  to  make 
any  further  inquiries. 

The  sudden  change  in  the  atmosphere  contributed  not 
a  little  to  his  melancholy.  The  sun,  whether  beneath 
the  horizon  or  not,  had  entirely  disappeared  in  one  of 
those  thick  fogs  which  very  frequently,  in  the  short 
winter  days,  suddenly  envelop  earth  and  sky,  espe- 
cially towards  sunset,  or  in  the  morning  at  sunrise.  It 
was  a  heavy,  melancholy  veil,  of  a  dull,  leaden  gray, 
which  grew  thicker  every  instant,  and  which  soon  left 
nothing  visible  but  the  bottom  of  the  gorge,  into  which 
it  had  not  yet  fully  penetrated.  In  proportion  as  it 
approached  this  goal,  it  seemed  to  sweep  forward  in 
dense  waves,  but  it  did  not  mingle  at  all  with  the  black 
smoke  rising  from  great  fires  kindled  in  the  depths  of  the 
valley,  to  preserve  harvests  or  keep  open  small  streams 
of  water. 

Christian  did  not  even  ask  Olof  the  object  of  these 
fires  ;  he  gave  himself  up  to  the  dreary  amusement  of 
watching  their  red  and  spectral  forms,  glimmering  like 
rayless,  fluctuating  meteors  on  the  banks  of  the  stream, 
and  in  following  with  his  eye  the  persistent  and  fan- 
tastic struggle  of  their  gloomy  flames  and  clouds  of 
smoke,  with  the  fog,  which,  through  the  contrast,  seemed 
even  whiter  than  it  was.  The  frezen  torrent  was  still 
visible  ;  but,  by  some  strange  optical  delusion,  it  some- 
times appeared  so  near  the  road  that  Christian  imag- 
ined he  could  touch  it  with  the  end  of  his  whip,  and 
sometimes  seemed  buried  in  immeasurable  depths,  while 
in  reality  it  was  infinitely  less  distant,  and  infinitely  less 
near,  than  the  deceptive  undulations  of  the  fog  caused  it 
to  appear. 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


433 


Night  followed,  with  the  long  northern  twilight.  At 
this  hour  there  is  usually  a  delicate  greenish  tint  in  the 
atmosphere,  but  this  evening  it  was  colorless  and  livid. 
Not  a  living  being  was  visible  on  the  face  of  the  globe  ; 
Avlmtcvcr  had  life  was  concealed,  motionless,  silent. 
Christian  felt  oppressed  at  this  universal  gloom  of  nature, 
and  then  he  accepted  it  with  a  sort  of  apathetic  resig- 
nation. Olof  jumped  out  to  lead  the  horse,  for  the  road, 
as  it  now  descended  to  the  shore  of  the  lake,  spreading 
like  a  vague  ocean  of  vapor  beneath  them,  was  almost 
perpendicular.  Christian  imagined  that  he  was  descend- 
ing the  sharp  declivity  of  the  globe  itself,  and  about  to 
plunge  off  into  the  void  abysms  of  space.  Two  or  three 
times  the  horse  slipped  until  he  was  thrown  back  upon 
his  haunches,  and  Olof  came  very  near  letting  go  the 
bridle  and  leaving  him  to  his  fate,  together  with  the 
sleigh  and  the  traveller.  The  latter  was  overwhelmed 
by  a  mortal  indifference.  The  baron's  son  !  These  three 
words,  written,  as  it  were,  in  black  letters  upon  his  brain, 
seemed  to  have  killed  within  him  hope  in  the  future,  and 
love  of  life.  It  was  not  despair  that  he  felt,  but  a 
profound  disgust  for  all  that  life  can  offer ;  and,  in  this 
mood,  the  only  thing  he  noticed  was  the  one  immediate 
fact  that  he  felt  overwhelmed  with  sleep,  and  that  he 
would  have  been  quite  willing  to  fall  asleep  forever  by 
rolling,  Avithout  a  sound,  to  the  bottom  of  the  lake.  He 
did  really  lose  himself,  and  so  completely,  that  he  had 
entirely  forgotten  where  he  was,  when  a  voice  as  faint  as 
the  twilight,  as  veiled  as  the  sky  and  the  lake,  sang  close 
to  him  these  words,  to  which  he  listened  unconsciously, 
and  gradually  comprehended : 

"Behold,  the  sun  is  rising!  Beautiful  and  clear  it 
shines  on  the  meadow  enamelled  with  flowers.  I  seethe 
fairies  all  in  white,  crowned  Avith  garlands  of  Avillow- 
boughs  and  lilacs ;  the  fairies  who  dance  in  the  valley, 
on  the  moss  glittering  Avith  deAV.  The  child  is  in  the 
midst  of  them,  the  child  of  the  lake,  more  beautiful  than 
the  morning. 

"  Behold,  the  sun  climbs  to  the  zenith  !  The  birds  are 
silent ;  the  little  flies  buzz  in  the  beams  of  dusty  gold. 
28 


434 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


The  fairies  have  entered  a  grove  of  azaleas,  to  seek  the 
cool,  refreshing  shade  on  the  shore  of  the  stream.  The 
child  is  asleep  on  their  knees  —  the  child  of  the  lake,  more 
beautiful  than  the  day. 

"Behold,  the  sun  is  setting!  The  nightingale  sings 
to  the  diamond  star  that  mirrors  itself  in  the  waters. 
The  fairies  are  seated  at  the  foot  of  the  sky,  on  the  stair- 
case of  rosy  crystal ;  they  sing  a  lullaby  to  the  child,  who 
smiles  in  his  downy  nest;  the  child  of  the  lake,  more 
beautiful  than  the  star  of  the  evening  !  " 

Once  again  it  was  the  voice  heard  among  the  boulders 
that  struck  upon  Christian's  ear,  but  it  seemed,  as  it  now 
chanted  poetic  words  set  to  an  agreeable  and  melodious 
air,  far  sweeter  than  before.  The  Avords  were,  per- 
haps, a  modern  song  which  the  sibyl  had  understood  and 
remembered  exactly.  However,  it  was  in  vain  that 
Christian  tried  to  catch  the  faintest  glimpse  of  a  human 
form.  He  could  not  even  see  the  horse  that  was  con- 
ducting him,  or  rather,  to  speak  more  correctly,  which 
was  no  longer  conducting  him,  for  the  sleigh  Avas  stand- 
ing still,  and  Olof  was  not  there.  Far  from  feeling  un- 
easy about  his  situation,  Christian  listened  until  the  three 
verses  were  completed.  The  first  had  seemed  to  him  to 
be  sung  a  few  steps  behind  him,  the  second  nearer,  and 
the  third  farther  on ;  gradually  the  voice  died  away  in 
advance  of  him. 

The  young  man  came  very  near  jumping  out  of  the 
sleigh,  to  try  and  seize  the  invisible  singer  as  she  passed  ; 
but,  as  he  put  out  his  foot,  he  became  aware  that  there 
was  a  void  under  him  instead  of  solid  ground ;  and,  as 
the  tender  words  of  the  song  had  revived  within  him  the 
instinct  of  self-preservation,  he  stretched  out  his  hand, 
to  find  out  where  he  was.  He  felt  the  reeking  rump 
of  the  horse,  and  called  Olof  several  times,  without  re- 
ceiving any  reply.  Then,  as  the  singer's  voice  began 
chanting  again,  still  farther  away,  he  called  her  also, 
by  the  name  of  Vala  Karina ;  but  she  either  did  not 
hear  him,  or  would  not  answer.  He  resolved  then  to  get 
out  on  the  other  side  of  the  sleigh,  and  he  found  himself 
on  a  steep  road,  which  he  explored  for  about  twenty 


THE   SNOW  MAN.  435 

steps,  still  calling  Olof  with  the  greatest  anxiety.  Could 
the  child  have  rolled  over  a  precipice  during  Christian's 
brief  slumber  ?  At  last  he  saw,  gleaming  through  the  fog, 
an  imperceptible  point  of  light,  which  came  towards  him, 
and  soon  he  recognized  Olof  carrying  a  lighted  lantern. 

"Is  it  you,  Herr  Christian?"  said  the  lad,  who  had 
not  heard  him  approach,  and  who  was  terrified  at  meet- 
ing him  thus  suddenly  face  to  face.  "  It  was  wrong  of 
you  to  get  out  of  the  sleigh  when  you  could  not  see  well ; 
this  is  a  very  dangerous  place,  and  I  told  you  not  to  budge 
while  I  went  to  light  my  lantern,  at  the  mill  close  by. 
Didn't  you  hear  me  ?  " 

"Not  at  all ;  but  you,  did  not  you  hear 'some  one  sing- 
ing?" 

"Yes,  but  I  did  not  listen.  You  often  hear  voices  on 
the  shore  of  the  lake,  and  it  is  not  good  to  understand 
what  they  sing,  for  then  they  will  lead  you  into  places 
from  which  you  never  return." 

"Very  well,  for  my  part,  I  listened,"  said  Christian, 
"  and  I  recognized  the  voice  of  your  aunt  Karine.  She 
must  be  close  by  —  Let  us  look  for  her,  since  you  have  a 
light,  or  call  her  ;  she  will,  perhaps,  answer  you." 

"No  no!"  cried  the  boy;  "leave  her  alone.  If  she 
is  in  her  dream,  and  we  wake  her  up,  she  will  kill 
herself!" 

"But  she  is  in  just  as  much  danger  of  killing  herself 
if  we  leave  her  walking  on  the  edge  of  this  ravine,  where 
you  can't  see  your  hand  before  you  ! " 

"Where  we  cannot  see,  she  can  ;  be  quiet,  unless  you 
wish  to  bring  some  misfortune  upon  her,  and  to  prevent 
her  from  returning  to  the  house,  where  I  am  very  sure  I 
shall  find  her  as  usual." 

Christian  was  obliged  to  give  up  the  idea  of  seeking 
the  seeress,  especially  as  the  light  of  the  lantern  was 
scarcely  sufficient  to  show  them  where  to  plant  their  feet, 
the  fog  was  so  impenetrable.  Christian  helped  Olof  to 
guide  the  horse  cautiously  to  the  shore  of  the  lake,  and 
there  the  lad,  who  did  not  seem  at  all  alarmed  by  their 
adventures,  asked  him  whether  he  would  get  into  the  sleigh 
again,  and  go  on  to  the  major's  bostoelle. 


436  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

"No,  no,"  said  Christian,  "  I  must  go  to  Stollborg. 
Must  I  not  turn  to  the  right  ?  " 

"No,"  said  Olof;  "try  to  walk  forward  in  a  straight 
line,  while  you  count  three  hundred  steps.  If  you  take 
two  steps  more  and  don't  come  to  the  rock,  you  have 
gone  wrong." 

"And  what  must  I  do  then?" 

"Look  and  see  from  what  direction  the  whiffs  of  the 
fog  come.  The  wind  is  from  the  south,  and  it  is  quite 
mild.  If  the  fog  passes  to  your  left,  you  must  turn  to 
your  right.  As  for  the  rest,  there  is  no  danger  on  the 
lake,  the  ice  is  firm  everywhere." 

"But  you, "my  child,  will  you  be  able  to  get  along 
all  alone?" 

"Able  to  go  to  the  bostoelle?  I  promise  you.  The 
horse  knows  the  road  now  ;  don't  you  see  how  impatient 
he  is?" 

"But  you  will  not  return  to  your  father's  house  this 
evening  ?  " 

"  Yes, indeed  !  The  fog  will  lift,  perhaps  ;  and  besides, 
the  moon  will  rise  soon,  and,  as  it  is  full,  I  can  see  to 
drive." 

Christian  shook  hands  with  the  young  danneman,  gave 
him  a  daler,  and,  following  his  instructions,  reached 
Stollborg  without  missing  his  road,  and  without  meeting 
a  living  soul. 

XV. 

1V/I"  GOEFLE'S  fourth  meal  had  just  been  served,  and 
•"•»••  he  was  seriously  occupied  in  giving  Master  Nils  a 
lesson  in  deportment,  while  \he  child,  standing  before  him 
with  a  napkin  on  his  arm,  seemed  in  quite  a  teachable 
mood. 

"  Bravo,  Christian,  you  have  come  precisely  at  the 
right  time  ! "  cried  the  doctor  of  laws  ;  "I  was  on  the 
point  of  taking  my  coffee  all  alone.  I  made  it  myself, 
for  both  of  us  ;  I  can  guarantee  that  it  is  excellent,  and 
you  must  want  something  to  warm  your  stomach." 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


437 


"  I  will  join  you  in  a  moment,  my*  dear  doctor,"  re- 
plied Christian,  taking  off  his  torn  vest  and  preparing  to 
wash  his  hands,  which  were  covered  with  blood. 

"  Good  gracious ! "  resumed  M.  Goefle,  "  are  you 
wounded,  or  have  you  by  chance  cut  the  throats  of  all 
the  bears  of  Sevenberg  ?  " 

"  There  has  been  a  little  of  that,"  replied  Christian, 
"  but  I  think  it  is  human  blood  that  is  on  my  hands  now, 
Oh,  M.  Goefle,  I  have  such  a  story  to  tell  you  !  " 

"  You  are  pale  !  "  cried  the  lawyer  ;  "  you  have  some- 
thing more  serious  to  tell  me  about  than  a  hunting  exploit. 
What  has  happened  —  a  quarrel  —  a  misfortune?  Speak 
quickly  —  you  take  away  my  appetite," 

"  Nothing  has  happened  to  me  that  ought  to  have  that 
effect  upon  you,  M.  Goefle.  Go  on  with  your  supper.  I 
will  try  to  keep  you  company,  and  I  will  speak  French, 
because  of —  " 

"*Y"es,  yes,"  replied  M.  Goefle,  in  French  ;  "  because  of 
the  red  ears  of  this  little  imbecile.  Go  on,  I  hear  you." 

While  Christian  was  giving  M.  Goefle  all  the  partic- 
ulars of  his  adventures,  and  confiding  to  him  also  his  con- 
jectures and  his  emotions,  they  heard  from  afar  the 
sound  of  the  noisy  fanfares.  The  baron  had  left  the 
forest  as  he  so  frequently  disappeared  from  his  saloons. 
The  cold,  the  fatigue  of  the  expedition,  and,  above  all, 
his  impatience  to  attend  to  the  business  treated  of  in 
Johan's  missive,  were  more  than  he  could  endure,  and  ac- 
cordingly, after  killing  a  deer,  he  had  stepped  into  his 
sleigh  under  the  pretence  of  going  farther  on,  while  the 
other  hunters  were  requested  to  pay  no  attention  to  his 
movements,  but  to  continue  their  sports  in  any  way  they 
chose.  Soon  after,  Larrson  and  the  lieutenant  had  joined 
this  hunt,  where,  agreeably  to  the  universal  anticipation, 
no  trace  of  any  bears  had  been  seen,  but  where  some  few 
white  deer  had  been  killed,  and  a  great  number  of  very 
large  hares. 

When  the  fog  came  on,  the  prudent  people  hastened  to 
drive  back  to  the  chateau  ;  but  some  of  the  young  folks, 
escorted  by  all  the  peasants  of  the  neighborhood,  who  had 
been  employed  as  trackers,  delayed  too  long  in  descend- 


438 


THE  SNO  W  MAN. 


ing  the  mountain,  and  were  obliged  to  stop  at  the  foot 
of  the  hogar,  where  Larrson  advised  that  they  should 
wait  until  the  moon  arose1,  or  until  the  vapors  hanging 
over  the  lake  should  be  lifted  by  the  sudden  gust  of  wind 
by  which  the  rising  of  the  moon  is  often  preceded.  Some 
of  the  party  had  the  lanterns  of  their  sleighs  lighted,  and 
preferred  to  return  at  once,  but  about  a  dozen  remained. 
Plenty  of  brandy  was  distributed  to  the  peasants,  who 
dispersed  to  their  various  homes.  The  servants  and 
marksmen  blew  trumpets,  and  lighted  a  large  fire  on  the 
hogar,  close  to  the  formless  fragments  of  the  statue  of 
snow,  and  the  merry  company  assembled  in  the  grotto, 
before  which  the  game  was  piled  up  in  the  form  of  a  pyr- 
amid, and  gayly  chatted  there  at  their  leisure,  relating 
their  adventures,  and  discussing  the  various  episodes  of 
the  hunt. 

But  the  major's  stories  so  far  exceeded  what  any  of 
his  companions  had  to  relate,  that  soon  every  one  *was 
silent,  to  listen  to  him.  Among  his  audience,  which  in- 
cluded both  sexes,  were  Olga,  Martina,  and  Margaret, 
who  had  been  allowed  by  her  aunt  to  remain  on  the  hogar 
with  Mademoiselle  Potin  and  the  minister's  daughter. 

"  So,  gentlemen,"  said  Olga  to  the  major  and  the  lieuten- 
ant, "  you  have  been  slyly  performing  dangerous  exploits, 
the  proof  of  which  you  promise  to  show  us  to-morrow,  if 
we  will  consent  to  take  a  walk  to  your  house." 

"  Say  the  proofs  /"  replied  the  major  ;  "  an  enormous 
creature,  a  spotted  bear  with  blue  eyes,  quite  a  large 
black  bear,  and  two  cubs,  which  we.  intend  to  bring  up, 
so  as  to  have  the  pleasure  of  letting  them  loose  and  hunt- 
ing them  when  they  are  grown." 

"  But  who  was  so  fortunate  as  to  kill  or  capture  them 
all?"  inquired  Martina  Akerstrom,  the  blond  fiancee  of 
the  lieutenant. 

"  The  lieutenant  captured  a  cub,"  replied  the  major, 
turning  with  an  expressive  smile  to  his  friend  ;  "  the  cor- 
poral and  myself  caught  another ;  the  peasant  who  was 
guiding  us  wounded  the  large  she-bear,  and  attacked  the 
black  bear ;  but  these  two  furious  beasts  would  infallibly 
have  torn  him  into  pieces,  if  another  of  my  friends,  who 


THE  SNOW  MAN.  439 

reached  the  spot  all  alone,  had  not  ripped  open  the  first, 
and  broken  the  head  of  the  other  with  a  ball,  at  half  an 
inch  from  the  poor  devil's  face." 

If  Christian's  exploit  had  been  related  a  third  time,  it 
is  quite  evident  that?  the  distance  between  his  ball  and 
the  danneman's  head  would  have  been  inappreciable. 
The  major  certainly  did  not  intend  to  exaggerate  :  how- 
ever, his  auditors  cried  out  in  amazement ;  but  the 
lieutenant  struck  his  fist  upon  the  table,  qnd  took  an 
energetic  oath  that  the  distance,  if  anything,  was  less, 
rather  than  greater,  than  what  the  major  tad  said.  The 
lieutenant  did  not  intend  to  exaggerate,  either ;  how 
could  his  dear  Osmund  be  mistaken? 

"Well,  at  any  rate,"  said  Margaret,  "the  slayer  of 
the  monsters  you  have  described  must  be  very  cour- 
ageous, and  have  great  presence  of  mind,  and  I  should 
like  to  Offer  him  my  sincere  congratulations-.''  Does  he 
remain  anonymous  out  of  modesty,  or  is  he  not  here  ?  ", 

"He  is  not  here,"  replied  the  baron. 

"Is  it  really  true?"  rejoined  Martina  Akerstrom, 
looking  artlessly  at  her  betrothed. 

"It  is  only  too  true,"  answered  the  lieutenant,  heaving 
a  heartfelt  and  equally  ingenuous  sigh. 

"But  did  he  make  you  promise,"  said  Margaret, 
"  not  to  reveal  his  name  ?  " 

"We  would  not  have  consented  to  make  any  such 
promise,"  replied  the  major,  "  we  love  him  too  well  for 
that  ;  but,  when  one  has  a  secret  which,  by  good  luck, 
excites  the  curiosity  of  the  ladies,  he  likes  to  make  his 
importance  felt,  and  so  we  will  not  tell  you  anything 
more — will  AVC  lieutenant?  —  until  you  have  done  your 
very  best  to  guess  the  name  of  our  hero." 

"Perhaps  it  was  Monsieur  Stangstadius,"  said  Mad- 
emoiselle Potin,  laughing. 

"No,"  replied  some  one,  "the  professor  was  at  our 
hunt,  and  he  left  with  the  Baron  de  Waldemora." 

"Well,"  said  Olga,  "it  may  have  been  precisely  to 
join  these  gentlemen  that  they  went.  Who  knows 
whether  it  was  not  the  baron?" 

"  Such   exploits   are   not   suited  to   his  age,"    said  a 


440 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


young  man,  who  would  have  been  very  glad  to  pay  court 
to  Olga,  in  an  affected  tone. 

"Why  not?"  she  rejoined. 

"I do  not  say,"  observed  Larrson,  "that  he  is  too  old 
for  such  exploits,  but  it  is  my  opinion  that  he  has  never 
had  a  taste  for  them.  The  baron  has  never,  I  believe, 
hunted  in  the  new  style  ;  that  is,  without  being  intrenched 
behind  a  net  of  strong  and  well-stretched  cords." 

"What!"  cried  Margaret,  "did  you  hunt  without 
nets?" 

"In  the  same  way  as  the  peasants  of  the  mountain," 
rejoined  the  major  ;  "  it  is  the  best  way." 

"But  it  must  be  very  dangerous  !  " 

"It  was  our  friend  alone  who  found  it  so  to-day.  We 
will  show  you  to-morrow  his  coat  of  reindeer  skin. 
The  way  in  which  the  claws  of  the  bear  have  turned 
this  excellent  shield  into  a  kind  of  lace,  will  show  you 
that  he  was  in  very  close  quarters  with,  the  enemy." 

"But  it  is  madness  to  expose  yourself  so,"  cried  Mar- 
garet. "  Nothing  in  the  world  would  induce  me  to  wit- 
ness such  a  spectacle  ! " 

"And  what  is  the  name  of  this  Meleager?"  inquired 
Olga  ;  "  will  you  not  satisfy  our  curiosity?" 

"Confess,"  said  tjie  major,  "that  you  have  not  tried 
very  hard  to  guess  it." 

"Yes,  indeed;  but  the  best  hunters  at  the  chateau  — 
all  I  should  have  thought  capable  of  such  feats  —  are 
here,  and  you  say  that  your  hero  is  not  present  ?  " 

"You  have  forgotten  some  one  Avho  was  at  the  cha- 
teau only  last  evening,"  rejoined  the  lieutenant. 

"I  have  tried  in  vain  to  think,"  replied  Olga  ;  "I  give 
it  up,  unless,  indeed,  it  should  be  the  black  mask,  the 
man  of  mystery,  the  learned  buffoon,  Christian  Wal- 
do—" 

"Well,  and  why  not?"  said  the  major,  glancing 
stealthily  at  Margaret,  who  had  blushed  deeply. 

"Was  it  he?"  she  cried,  with  unaffected  eagerness. 

"  Mon  Dieu  I "  said  the  young  Russian,  but  more 
through  thoughtlessness  than  malice,  for  she  was  not 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


441 


bad-hearted.  "One  would  say,  my  dear  child,  that  you 
are  very  much  interested  in  knowing  —  " 

"You  know,"  observed  good  Mademoiselle  Potin, 
opportunely,  "that  Countess  Margaret  is  afraid  of  Chris- 
tian Waldo." 

"Afraid  of  him?"  said  the  major,  in  surprise. 

"Why,  certainly,"  replied  the  governness,  "and  I 
confess  that  I  am  a  little  in  the  same  case.  A  mask 
always  frightens  me." 

"But  you  have  never  even  seen  Christian's  mask." 

"Oh,  that  only  makes  it  the  more  alarming,"  she 
answered,  laughing.  "We  are  only  really  afraid  of 
what  we  have  never  seen.  All  the  stories  that  are  told 
of  this  witty  comedian  are  so  strange  !  And  his  death's 
head,  that  they  talk  about !  We  have  heard  enough 
about  him  to  make  one  dream  all  night,  and  tremble  at 
hearing  his  name  !  " 

"Well,"  said  the  major,  "do  not  tremble  anymore, 
ladies  ;  we  have  seen  the  face  of  Christian  Waldo  all 
day  long,  and  in  spite  of  what  the  baron  said  last  night, 
his  pretended  death's  head  is  the  head  of  a  young  Anti- 
nous.  Isn't  it  true,  lieutenant,  that  he  is  the  handsomest 
young  man  you  ever  saw  ?  " 

"As  handsome  as  he  is  amiable,  educated,  and  brave," 
replied  the  lieutenant. 

And  even  Corporal  Duff,  who  was  outside  smoking  his 
pipe,  and  listening  to  the  conversation,  now  raised  his 
voice  as  if  in  spite  of  himself,  to  praise  the  cordiality, 
nobility,  and  modesty  of  Christian  Waldo. 

Margaret  asked  no  questions,  and  did  not  even  ven- 
ture to  make  any  mental  comments  upon  what  she  had 
heard ;  but  while  apparently  fully  occupied  in  fastening 
her  pelisse,  for  they  had  risen  to  go,  she  did  not  lose  a 
word  of  the  praises  bestowed  upon  her  friend  of  the  pre- 
vious evening. 

"How  is  it?"  said  Olga,  who  was  also  preparing  for 
their  departure,  "that  an  educated  and  distinguished  "man 
can  consent  to  follow  a  calling,  I  will  not  say  disgrace- 
ful, but  certainly  frivolous,  and  which,  after  all,  will 
not  be  likely  to  make  him  rich  ?  " 


443 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


"He  don't  make  a  business  of  his  present  occupa- 
tion," replied  the  major,  eagerly;  "he  follows  it  merely 
as  an  amusement." 

"Oh,  excuse  me,  he  is  paid  for  his  entertainments." 

"Well,  and  so  are  we  soldiers  paid  for  serving  the 
state.  Are  not  our  estates  and  revenues  the  salary  we 
receive  for  our  services?" 

"  There  is  a  difference  between  a  salary  and  wages," 
said  Margaret,  with  gentle  melancholy  ;  "but  it  begins  to 
be  cold  :  shall  we  not  go  ?  I  don't  think  it  will  be  danger- 
gerotis  now  on  the  lake." 

The  major  saw,  or  thought  he  saw,  that  Margaret  was 
anxious  to  have  a  talk  with  him  ;  he  offered  her  his  arm, 
therefore,  to  her  sleigh,  and  begged  Mademoiselle  Potin 
to  allow  him  to  have  a  seat  with  them  in  returning  to  the 
chateau.  With  a  few  brief  words  he  gave  the  lieutenant 
to  understand  that  he  would  like  to  have  Olga  return  in 
another  sleigh  with  himself  and  Martina  Akerstrom ; 
and  the  good  lieutenant,  without  troubling  himself  about 
the  reason  of  the  major's  request,  which  he  obeyed  as 
if  it  had  been  a  military  order,  offered  his  services  to  his 
fiancee  and  the  young  Russian. 

Thanks  to  this  arrangement,  Osmund  was  at  full  lib- 
erty to  espouse  Christian  Waldo's  cause  warmly,  and  to 
try  and  change  the  bad  opinion  which  Margaret  and 
Mademoiselle  Potin,  her  discreet  confidante,  seemed  to 
have  formed  of  him.  To  succeed  in  this,  he  had  only 
to  repeat  his  conversation  with  Waldo,  and  inform  them 
of  his  generous  and  eccentric  determination  to  endure  tlie 
greatest  poverty  and  suffering,  rather  than  continue  his 
adventurous  career,  of  which  he  himself  disapproved. 
Margaret  listened  with  apparent  tranquillity,  as  if  she 
had  been  called  upon  to  express  her  approbation  of  some 
case  in  which  she  had  no  personal  interest.  However, 
she  was  not  a  skilful  actress,  -and  the  major,  who  had 
sufficient  delicacy  to  adopt  the  same  tone  as  herself,  was 
not  deceived  as  to  the  interest  with  which  she  really 
regarded  his  friend  in  her  secret  soul. 

In  the  meanwhile  Baron  Olaus  had  been  laid  upon  his 
bed,  where  he  appeared  calm.  The  physician,  as  usual, 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


443 


eluded  the  questions  of  his  heirs.  They  all  soon  knew 
that  their  dear  and  respectable  uncle  had  returned  from 
the  hunt  so  feeble  that  his  people  had  been  obliged  to 
carry  him  in,  undress  him,  and  put  him^  to  bed,  like  a 
child ;  but,  according  to  the  physician,  he  was  suffering 
merely  from  one  of  his  customary  accidental  and  tempo- 
rary attacks.  Johan  gave  orders  that  the  amusements 
and  games  should  continue.  The  comedy  of  marionettes 
was  announced  for  eight  o'clock.  And  as  for  Doctor 
Stangstadius,  "who  might  have  revealed  how  ill  he  really 
was,  he  had  returned  from  the  hunt  only  to  ascend  into  the 
observatory  of  the  chateau,  to  study  at  his  leisure  the 
phenomenon  of  the  dry  fog,  which  he  attributed,  and 
perhaps  correctly,  to  volcanic  exhalations  proceeding 
from  Lake  Wetter. 

The  only  person  who  was  really  anxious  was  Johan. 
As  soon  as  he  was  left  alone  with  his  master,  though  the 
physician,  who  had  retired  to  change  his  dress  and  take 
some  food,  had  implored  him  to  keep  the  baron  from 
being  disturbed,,  he  resolved  to  find  out  what  he  was  to 
think  of  his  mental  condition. 

"  Come,  my  master,"  he  said,  with  his  customary 
familiarity,  a  privilege  granted  to  him  alone,  which  he 
was  never  afraid  of  abusing,  and  fqr  very  sufficient  rea- 
sons ;  "  are  we  really  dead  this  time  ?  Haven't  you  a 
single  smile  for  your  old  Johan  ?  one  of  those  sweet  little 
smiles  that  mean,  '  I  bid  defiance  to  disease,  and  I  mean 
to  bury  all  the  fools  who  would  like  to  see  me  go  to  the 
devil'?" 

The  baron  tried  in  vain  to  gratify  him  ;  the  victorious 
smile  which  he  attempted  to  summon  to  his  countenance 
proved  a  melancholy  grimace,  accompanied  by  a  deep 
sigh. 

"Anyhow,  you  understand  me?"  resumed  Johan; 
"  that  is  something." 

"  Yes,"  replied  the  baron,  in  a  feeble  voice;  "but  I 
am  very  ill  this  time  !  That  ass  of  a  doctor  —  " 

And  he  tried  to  show  his  arm. 

"  He  bled  you  ?  "  said  Johan.  "  He  says  that  it  saved 
your  life  ;  let  us  hope  so  :  but  you  must  exert  your  will ; 


444 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


you  know  perfectly  well  that  that  it  is  your  only  remedy. 
Your  will  performs  miracles  !  " 

"I  have  none  left." 

"  No  will?  Nonsense  !  When  you  say  that,  it  always 
means  that  you  are  very  determined  indeed  about  some- 
thing ;  and  I  can  tell  you  what  you  want  now  —  that  these 
two  or  three  Italians  —  " 

"  Yes,  yes,  all  of  them,"  rejoined  the  baron,  with  a 
gleam  of  energy. 

"There,  now!"  resumed  Johan,  "I  knew  I  could 
bring  you  round  !  Did  you  see  the  proof?  — " 

"  It  is  unanswerable." 

"  Stenson's  writing?" 

"  And  his  signature  —  all  the  details  !  It  is  strange  — 
strange  !  but  it  is  true." 

"  But  where  have  you  put  it,  in  the  name  of  heaven?  " 

"  In  the  pocket  of  my  hunting-dress." 

"  I  cannot  find  it." 

"You  have  not  looked  carefully.  It  is  there.  No 
matter  !  Listen  :  I  am  overcome  with  fatigue  —  Stenson 
in  the  tower !  " 

"  At  once  ?  " 

"  No,  during  the  comedy." 

"And  the  others?" 

"Afterwards." 

"  In  the  tower  also?  " 

"  Yes  ;  some  excuse." 

"That  is  easy.  A  silver  plate  slipped  into  the  bag- 
gage of  these  jugglers.  They  will  have  stolen  it." 

"  Good !  " 

"  But  if  their  suspicions  are  awakened  ?  If  the  true  and 
false  Christian  do  not  come?" 

"Where  are  they?" 

"  Who  can  find  out  in  this  fog?  I  have  given  orders  ; 
but  an  hour  ago  no  one  had  returned  to  Stollborg,  which 
is  watched  and  surrounded  on  all  sides." 

"  In  that  case,  what  will  you  do?" 

"The  proof — that  is  the  portfolio  —  destroyed,  and 
the  man  who  gave  it  up  to  you  dead,  his  secret  is  dead 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


445 


too,  since  Christian  Waldo  does  not  know  anything  about 
it." 

"Is  that  quite  certain?" 

"  When  we  get  hold  of  him  we  will  make  him  confess." 

"  But  he  is  not  in  our  hands  yet." 

"  Perhaps,  by  this  time  —  I  will  go  myself  to  Stollborg, 
and  find  out." 

"  Go  quickly  !  —  But  if  he  should  refuse  to  come  to  the 
chateau  this  evening?" 

"  Then  Captain  Chimere  will  go  over  there  with  —  " 

"  Very  good  !  and  the  lawyer? — " 

"  I  will  tell  him  beforehand  that  you  send  for  him. 
However  —  we  must  be  ready  for  anything ;  if  he  refuses 
to  obey?  —  " 

"  That  will  be  the  proof  - 

"  That  he  has  an  understanding  with  your  enemies. 
And  then?—" 

"  So  much  the  worse  for  him." 

"  That  is  serious  —  such  a  well-known  man  !  " 

"  Do  not  harm  him ;  keep  him  out  of  it." 

"  Yes,  if  possible.  No  matter,  I  will  try.  I  will  go 
at  once  to  Stollborg  and  slip  your  gold  goblet  into  the 
pack-saddle  of  the  ass.  That  will  be  the  excuse  for 
seizing  the  jugglers,  even  if  we  have  to  go  there  to  catch 
them.  But  there  may  be  some  disturbance.  Christian 
is  a  fighting  man,  and  Stollborg  is  very  near." 

"  So  much  the  better  ;  they  will  silence  him  the  sooner." 

"  The  major  and  the  lieutenant  have  taken  a  great 
liking  to  this  mountebank.  We  must  be  careful,  and 
choose  the  right  moment.  I  have  ordered  all  the  brass 
instruments  in  the  chateau  to  be  kept  playing,  and  out- 
side they  are  sending  off  rockets  and  fireworks  every  mo- 
ment." 

"Well  thought  of!" 

"  How  do  you  feel  now?  " 

"Better;  I  think  I  can  even  recall  —  wait,  Johan  — 
that  face  —  I  dreamed  about  it  again  to-day.  When 
was  it  ?  Wait,  I  say  !  Was  it  a  dream  ?  Destruction ! 
I  cannot,  Johan,  my  head  refuses — my  brain  is  con- 
fused, as  it  was  yesterday." 


446 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


"Well  then,  don't  torment  yourself;  I  Avill  find  out 
all  about  it  myself ;  it  is  my  affair.  Come,  be  quiet !  you 
will  come  out  victorious,  as  you  always  do.  I  will  send 
Jacob  to  you." 

Johan  went  out.  The  baron,  exhausted  by  the  effort 
he  had  made,  fainted  in  Jacob's  arms,  and  the  physician, 
hastily  recalled,  had  a  great  deal  of  difficulty  in  bringing 
him  to  his  senses.  Then  the  patient  recovered  a  feverish 
energy. 

"  Off  with  you,  doctor!"  he  cried;  "lam  tired  of 
your  face  !  You  are  ugly  !  every  one  is  ugly  !  He  is 
beautiful  —  beautiful,  if  they  speak  the  truth ;  but  that 
will  not  help  him  any.  When  one  is  dead  he  soon  be- 
comes hideous,  does  he  not  ?  Still,  if  I  should  die  before 
him,  I  should  like  to  leave  him  my  fortune  —  that  would 
be  droll !  But  if  I  live,  he  must  die  ;  nothing  shall  save 
him.  Say,  then,  doctor,  do  you  think  I  am  crazy?  " 

The  baron,  after  raving  in  this  way  for  a  few  moments, 
fell  into  a  restless,  feverish  sleep.  It  was  then  six  o'clock 
in  the  evening,  and  the  company  at  the  chateau  were  just 
sitting  down  to  the  aftonward,  the  light  repast  which  pre- 
cedes supper. 

We  are  really  grieved  at  being  obliged  to  try  the  read- 
er's patience  with  so  many  meals,  but  we  should  not  be 
true  to  facts  if  we  should  suppress  a  single  one  of  them. 
We  are  forced  to  remind  him  that  it  is  the  custom  of  the 
country  to  eat  every  two  hours,  and  that  a  century  ago 
no  one  thought  of  deviating  from  it,  especially  in  the 
country,  and  in  winter.  Pretty  women  lost  nothing 
of  their  poetry  in  the  eyes  of  their  admirers  by  having 
an  excellent  appetite.  It  was  not  the  fashion  to  be  pale 
and  hollow-eyed.  The  fresh  and  brilliant  complexions 
of  the  beautiful  Swedes  did  not  rob  them  of  their  empire 
over  heart  and  imagination,  and  though  not  at  all  senti- 
mental, the  young  people  of  both  sexes  were  really  very 
romantic.  The  little  Margaret,  accordingly,  and  the  tall 
Olga,  the  blonde  Martina,  and  several  other  nymphs  of 
these  frozen  lakes,  after  having  taken  coffee  in  the  grotto 
of  the  hogar,  ate  their  cream  and  cheese  in  the  great 
gilded  saloon  of  the  chateau,  each  dreaming  about  love 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


447 


in  her  own  way,  and  all  of  them  happily  unconscious 
that  fasting  could  be  considered  a  necessary  condition  of 
sentiment. 

There  were  no  longer  so  many  guests  at  the  new  cha- 
teau as  there  had  been  during  the  first  few  days  of  the 
Christmas  holidays.  Several  mothers  had  carried  away 
their  daughters,  when  they  found  that  Baron  Olaus 
paid  them  no  attention.  The  diplomats  of  both  sexes, 
who  had  an  interest  in  keeping  up  their  relations  with 
him,  and  his  presumptive  heirs  —  whom  the  baron  was  in 
the  habit  of  calling,  when  he  joked  about  them  in  French, 
his  presumptuous  heirs  —  remained,  in  spite  of  the  gloom 
that  he  shed  around  him.  Countess  Elveda  was  very  much 
irritated  at  not  being  able  to  come  to  any  undei-standing 
with  her  mysterious  host ;  but  she  consoled  herself  by 
flirting  with  the  Russian  ambassador.  The  mornings 
and  afternoons  were  occupied  by  the  elderly  ladies 
in  making  and  receiving  visits  in  their  respective  apart- 
ments, with  a  great  deal  of  ceremony  and  solemnity.  On 
such  occasions,  they  always  conversed  about  the  same 
subjects :  the  beautiful  winter  weather,  the  magnificent 
hospitality  of  their  host,  his  remarkable  wit  —  perhaps  a 
little  severe  —  his  indisposition,  and  the  wonderful  courage 
with  Avhich  he  bore  it,  so  as  not  to  interfere  with  the  en- 
joyment of  his  guests  ;  and,  as  they  conversed  thus,  they 
stifled  Homeric  yawns.  And  then  they  talked  politics, 
and  argued  with  great  bitterness,  which  did  not  prevent 
them  from  discoursing  about  religious  topics  in  an  edify- 
ing manner.  For  the  most  part  they  entertained  the  per- 
sons who  had  just  come  in,  by  saying  all  the  evil  possible 
of  those  who  had  just  gone  out. 

The  young  people  were  the  only  ones  who  contrived  to 
throw  off  the  moral  coldness  and  gloom  which  seemed  to 
permeate  the  very  atmosphere.  There  were  about  a 
score  of  them,  of  both  sexes,  who,  with  or  without  the 
consent  of  their  families,  had  formed  attachments  among 
themselves,  of  a  more  or  less  tender  character,  and  who, 
meeting  freely,  as  they  did  every  hour  of  the  day,  acted 
as  each  other's  chaperons  and  confidantes.  With  this 
happy  group  were  associated  some  few  persons  who, 


448  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

though  older,  were  nevertheless  benevolent  and  cheerful ; 
governesses,  of  whom  Mademoiselle  Potin  was  one,  the 
pastor's  family,  who  were  always  very  highly  consid- 
ered, and  courted  in  all  country  festivities,  several  old 
country  gentlemen,  plain  and  simple-hearted,  the  baron's 
young  physician,  when  he  could  escape  from  the  claws  of 
his  tyrannical  and  cunning  patient ;  and,  best  of  all,  the 
illustrious  Stangstadius,  whenever  they  could  get  hold  of 
him,  and  contrive  to  keep  him  with  them  by  paying  him  — 
for  their  own  amusement  —  the  most  extravagant  compli- 
ments, the  sincerity  of  Avhich  he  never  doubted,  even 
when  they  referred  to  the  charms  of  his  person. 

The  collation  of  the  aftonward  was  as  gay  to-day  as 
ever,  even  although  the  geologist  did  not  make  his  ap- 
pearance. The  young  folks  —  as  the  matrons  called 
them — did  not  even  notice  the  anxious  and  agitated  faces 
of  the  servants,  who  were  not  quite  so  blind  to  the  real 
state  of  their  master's  health,  as  they  Avould  have  liked  to 
persuade  those  among  them  whose  business  it  was  to  act 
as  spies  upon  the  others. 

After  the  collation,  they  declared  that  they  had  heard 
enough  about  the  feats  of  the  hunters,  and  Martina  pro- 
posed that  they  should  play  hide-and-seek,  a  game  that 
they  had  enjoyed  very  much  the  evening  before,  partly, 
perhaps,  because  they  had  to  go  to  a  different  part  of  the 
chateau  to  play  it.  Instinctively,  they  avoided  a  certain 
isolated  pavilion  occupied  by  the  master  of  the  house, 
and  perhaps,  without  openly  admitting  it,  they  were  not 
sorry  to  have  an  excuse  —  that  of  not  disturbing  the  host  — 
for  avoiding  as  well  the  stately  apartments  occupied 
by  their  parents  and  relatives.  In  the  upper  story  of  the 
outer  circle  of  buildings,  which  was  connected  by  numer- 
ous passages  with  the  lower  rooms  —  the  latter  were  used 
for  various  domestic  purposes,  as  wine-cellars,  bleaching- 
rooms,  etc. — there  were  a  number  of  long,  gloomy,  and 
almost  deserted  galleries,  where  they  had  plenty  of  room 
to  look  for  each  other,  and  plenty  of  dark  corners  to  hide 
in.  They  drew  lots  for  the  different  parties,  and  Mar- 
garet found  herself  with  Martina  and  her  fiancee,  the  lieu- 
tenant. 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


449 


XVI. 


the  young  people  at  the  new  chateau  were 
enjoying  their  innocent  games,  M.  Goefle  and  Chris- 
tian were  making  all  sorts  of  comments  upon  the  discov- 
eries relative  to  his  birth  which  the  latter  thought  he  had 
made.  M.  Goefle  did  not  agree  with  his  young  friend. 
His  ideas,  he  said,  were  altogether  fanciful,  and  more  in- 
genious than  logical.  For  his  own  part,  he  seemed  more 
than  ever  tormented  by  some  idea  which  he  at  the  same 
time  wished  and  feared  to  explain. 

"  Christian,  Christian  !  "  he  said,  shaking  his  head, 
"  do  not  torment  yourself  by  dwelling  on  this  nightmare. 
No,  no  ;  you  are  not  the  son  of  Baron  Olaus  !  I  would 
stake  putting  my  hand  in  the  fire  on  that." 

"And  yet,"  replied  Christian,  "is  it  not  true  that  there 
is  a  certain  resemblauce  between  his  features  and  mine? 
When  he  had  fainted,  and  while  his  blood  was  dropping 
on  the  snow,  his  cruel  and  sardonic  face  assumed  the 
expression  of  supreme  repose  which  is  given  by  death, 
and  I  gazed  upon  him  in  terror.  No  man,  it  is  true  (or 
so  it  seems  to  me),  at  least  unless  he  has  passed  all  his  life 
before  a  mirror,  or  is  a  portrait-painter,  can  have  a  very 
exact  idea  of  his  own  appearance  ;  but  still  his  face 
seemed  familiar  to  me  in  a  vague  sort  of  way,  aud  grad- 
ually it  began  to  appear  like  my  own.  I  had  the  same 
feeling  when  I  saw  him  for  the  first  time.  I  did  not  say 
to  myself,  '  I  have  seen  him  somewhere  ;  '  I  said,  '  I 
know  him,  I  have  always  known  him.  '  ' 

"  Well,  well,"  said  M.  Goefle,  "  and  I  too,  by  heavens  ! 
when  I  saw  you  the  first  time,  noticed  the  same  thing. 
And  now  again,  at  this  very  moment,  when  your  face  is 
serious  and  abstracted,  I  recognize,  if  not  a  resemblance, 
at  least  a  similarity  of  outline  that  is  striking  —  extraor- 
dinary. But  it  is  precisely  that,  my  dear  friend,  which 
makes  me  tell  you  :  '  No,  you  are  not  his  son  !  '  " 

"Really,  M.  Goefle,  I  do  not  understand  you  at 
all." 

29 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 

"  Oh  !  that  is  not  your  case  alone  !  I  don't  understand 
myself.  And  yet  I  have  an  idea,  a  fixed  idea !  —  If 
that  obstinate  Stenson  would  only  speak  !  But  it  was  all 
in  vain  that  I  tormented  him  again  to-day  for  two  hours  ; 
he  told  me  nothing  of  the  slightest  importance.  Either  he 
begins  to  wander  at  moments,  or  he  pretends  resolutely  to 
be  deaf  and  abstracted,  when  he  does  not  wish  to  answer. 
If  I  had  heard  of  this  Karine,  and  had  known  that  she 
was  mixed  up  in  our  affairs,  I  might,  perhaps,  have  drawn 
something  out  of  him,  at  least  in  regard  to  her.  You 
say  that  the  danneman's  son  pretends  that  she  could  tell 
a  great  many  secrets  if  she  chose.  Unluckily,  she  also 
is  crazy,  it  seems,  or  else  so  intimidated  and  enfeebled  that 
she  is  afraid  to  confess  !  However,  it  is  absolutely  nec- 
essary that  we  succeed  in  clearing  up  our  doubts,  for 
either  I  am  a  fool,  Christian,  or  you  are  now  in  your  own 
country,  and  perhaps  are  upon  the  point  of  discovering 
who  you  are.  Come,  then !  think,  help  me  !  that  is, 
listen  to  me.  Your  appearance  at  the  new  chateau  has 
caused  a  great  deal  of  trouble  and  anxiety  there,  and  you 
must  know —  " 

At  this  moment  some  one  knocked  at  the  door,  after 
having  tried  in  vain  to  open  it  without  knocking.  M. 
Goefle,  unobserved  by  Christian,  had  cautiously  drawn 
the'bolt.  Christian  was  going  to  open  the  door,  when 
M.  Goefle  stopped  him. 

"  Go  under  the  staircase,"  he  said,  "  and  leave  me  to 
manage  this  business." 

Christian,  who  was  exceedingly  preoccupied,  obeyed 
mechanically,  and  M.  Goefle  went  to  open  the  door,  but 
without  allowing  the  unexpected  visitor  to  enter.  It  was 
Johan. 

"  You  again  ! "  he  said  curtly,  and  in  a  severe  tone. 
"What  do  you  want,  Monsieur  Johan?" 

"Excuse  me,  Monsieur  Goefle,  I  want  to  speak  to 
Christian  Waldo." 

"  He  is  not  here." 

"He  has,  however,  returned  here;  I  know  it,  Mon- 
sieur Goefle." 

"  Look  for  him,  but  not  in  my  apartment.     I  am  at 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


45  * 


Avork,  and  wish  to  be  quiet.  This  is  the  third  time  that 
you  have  disturbed  me." 

"  I  ask  a  thousand  pardons,  monsieur,  but  since  you 
share  your  room  with  him,  I  thought  I  might  come  again 
to  convey  his  lordship's  orders  to  this  comedian." 

"His  orders  —  what  orders?" 

"In  the  first  place,  to  get  ready  his  entertainment; 
then  to  be  at  the  new  chateau  at  eight  precisely,  as  yes- 
terday ;  and,  in  conclusion,  to  play  something  very  gay." 

"You  repeat  yourself,  my  good  fellow;  you  have  al- 
ready told  me  the  same  thing  twice,  and  in  precisely  the 
same  terms — But  are  you  sure  that  you  know  what  you 
are  saying?  Is  not  the  baron  seriously  ill  this  evening? 
While  you  are  prowling  round  the  old  chateau  like  a 
shadow,  are  you  aware  of  what  is  occurring  at  the  new 
chateau?" 

"  I  have  just  seen  his  lordship  this  very  moment,"  re- 
plied Johan,  with  his  eternal  smile  of  impertinent  humil- 
ity. "His  lordship  is  quite  well;  and  it  is  because  he 
sent  me  here  that  I  am  forced,  to  my  great  regret,  to 
be  excessively  importunate.  Notwithstanding,  I  must 
add  that  his  lordship  is  very  desirous  of  conversing  with 
the  honorable  M.  Goefle  during  the  comedy  of  marion- 
ettes." 

"  Very  good  ;  I  will  attend  to  it.  I  wish  you  good- 
evening." 

Thereupon  M.  Goefle  shut  the  door  in  the  face  of  the 
disappointed  Johan. 

"  Why  all  these  precautions?  "  said  Christian,  coming 
from  his  retreat,  where  he  had  listened  to  this  dialogue. 

"  Because  something  is  going  on  here  —  I  was  about  to 
tell  you  so  when  we  were  interrupted  —  that  I  do  not 
understand.  All  clay  long,  this  Johan  —  the  most  detest- 
able wretch  alive,  if  I  can  judge  from  his  appearance, 
and  from  Stenson's  opinion  —  has  done  nothing  but  pi-owl 
around  Stollborg,  and  you  are  the  object  of  his  curiosity. 
In  the  first  place  he  questioned  Stenson  about  you,  who 
does  not  know  you  at  all,  and  who  only  learned  to-day 
(precisely  from  this  Johan)  that  you  and  I  were  both  of 
r  us  stopping  here.  Then  he  had  a  long  talk  in  the  stable 


45  2 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


with  your  servant  Puffo,  and  another  in  the  kitchen  of 
the  gaard,  with  Ulphilas.  He  would  have  made  Nils 
talk  if  I  had  not  kept  him  close  by  me  the  whole  day.  I 
really  believe  this  spy  tried  to  make  your  ass  confess." 

"  Luckily,  my  honest  Jean  is  discretion  itself,"  said 
Christian.  "But!  do  not  see  why  the  efforts  of  this 
lackey  to  see  my  face  should  make  you  uneasy.  Since  I 
have  worn  a  mask,  I  have  been  accustomed  to  excite  just 
such  curiosity ;  but  I  intend  to  have  done  forever  with 
this  puerile  mystery  and  with  these  childish  persecutions. 
As  I  am  obliged  to  return  to  the  chateau  this  evening,  I 
will  go  with  my  face  uncovered." 

"  No,  Christian,  you  must  not  do  that;  I  forbid  it. 
You  must  be  patient  for  a  few  days  longer  !  An  impor- 
tant secret  is  challenging  our  investigation  ;  it  is  our  busi- 
ness to  discover  it,  and  I  will  discover  it,  or  lose  my 
reputation  ;  but  you  must  not  show  your  face.  You  must 
not  even  let  Ulph  see  you  again.  You  are  certainly  threat- 
ened by  some  danger.  Johan,  with  his  stealthy,  sidelong 
glance,  is  not  the  only  person  I  have  seen  gliding  about 
the  passages  of  Stqllborg.  Either  I  am  very  much  mis- 
taken, or  I  noticed  a  thorough  blackguard  walking 
around  the  donjon  on  the  ice,  at  just  about  nightfall — a 
certain  fellow  who  has  been  honored  by  the  baron  his 
master  with  the  fantastic  name  of  Captain  Chimere. 
With  our  comedy  last  evening,  we  may  have  put  fire  to 
powder.  The  baron  unquestionably  is  suspicious  about 
you,  for  some  cause  or  other  ;  and  if  you  will  take  my 
•advice,  you  will  pretend  to  be  ill,  and  not  go  to  the  new 
chateau  at  all." 

"  Oh,  as  to  that,  Monsieur  Goefle,  I  beg  your  pardon, 
but  the  baron  cannot  frighten  me,  no  matter  what  he 
may  do.  If  I  am  so  fortunate  as  not  to  be  related  to  him, 
I  am  in  precisely  the  mood  to  defy  him,  and  to  squeeze ' 
vigorously  any  hand  that  ventures  so  much  as  to  touch 
the  tapestry  of  my  theatre,  if  I  choose  to  remain  incog- 
nito. Remember  that  I  have  killed  two  bears  to-day, 
and  consequently  that  my  nerves  are  a  little  excited. 
Come,  come,  pardon  me,  my  dear  uncle,  but  it  is  getting 
late,  and  I  have  only  two  hours  to  prepare  for  my  exhi- 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


453 


bition.  I  am  going  to  look  for  a  play  in  my  library  ;  that 
is  to  say,  in  the  bottom  of  my  box,  and  you  must  be  so 
good  as  to  play  it  with  me,  somehow  or  other." 

"Christian,  I  don't  feel  like  it  to-day.  I  am  no  longer 
an  actor,  but  a  lawyer ;  that  is  to  say,  a  seeker  of  ac- 
tual facts,  to  the  very  marrow  of  the  bones.  Your  servant 
Puffo  did  not  seem  to  me  to  be  very  drunk  when  I  saw 
him,  and  he  is  here,  no  doubt,  in  the  gaard.  Stay,  I  am 
going  out,  and  I  will  call  him  as  I  pass,  and  send  him  to 
help  you,  since  you  insist  upon  performing.  It  will  do 
no  harm,  perhaps — it  will  keep  you  busy,  and  may  avert 
suspicions.  Puffo  is  devoted  to  you,  is  he  not?" 

"  I  don't  know,  I  am  sure." 

"  But  if  they  should  try  to  fasten  a  quarrel  upon  you, 
he  would  not  leave  you  in  the  lurch  ?  He  is  not  a  cow- 
ard ?  " 

"I  don't  think  so  :  but  feel  no  anxiety  upon  that  point, 
Monsieur  Goefle.  This  good  Norwegian  knife,  which  my 
friends  lent  me  for  the  hunt,  is  still  by  my  side,  and  I 
answer  for  it  that  I  will  make  myself  respected  without 
the  help  of  any  one." 

"Beware  of  a  surprise.  That  is  the  only  thing  I  am 
afraid  of  for  you.  For  my  part,  I  cannot  remain  quiet  for 
two  minutes.  Since  you  have  told  me  about  a  child 
brought  up  secretly  at  the  danneman's  house,  a  child  with 
fingers  like  yours  —  " 

"Oh,  nonsense  !  "  said  Christian,  "  I  only  dreamed  the 
whole  story,  perhaps  ;  and,  at  any  rate,  I  must  not  think 
about  it  now.  I  see  at  the  bottom  of  this  box  my  poor 
little  marionettes,  whom  I  am  now  going  to  exhibit  for 
the  last  time,  or  the  time  before  the  last ;  for  this,  M. 
Goefle,  is  the  only  real  and  sensible  conclusion  to  which 
I  have  been  led  by  all  my  reflections.  I  will  give  up  the 
fool's  cap,  and  take  the  hammer  of  the  miner,  the  axe  of 
the  wood-cutter,  or  the  whip  of  the  travelling  peasant ! 
And  for  the  rest,  I  laugh  at  it !  What  difference  does  it 
make,  whether  I  am  the  son  of  an  amiable  fairy  or  a 
wicked  iarl  ?  I  will  be  the  son  of  my  works  ;  and  one 
need  not  rack  one's  brains  to  come  to  a  conclusion  so  sim- 
ple and  so  logical." 


454  THE   SNOW  MAX. 

"That  is  right,  Christian,  that  is  right!"  cried  M. 
Goefle.  "  I  love  to  hear  you  talk  so;  but  still,  for  all 
that,  I  have  my  idea  —  I  hold  on  to  it,  I  dig  into  it,  I  feed 
it,  and  now  I  am  going  to  give  it  an  airing.  It  may  be 
absurd,  but  still  it  is  possible  !  I  feel  a  constant  anxiety 
to  see  Stenson  ;  I  will  tear  his  secret  from  him  !  I  know, 
at  present,  how  to  set  to  work.  I  will  return  in  an  hour 
at  the  most,  and  we  will  go  together  to  the  chateau.  I 
will  call  on  the  baron  to  find  out  what  he  wants  with  me, 
and  will  observe  him  carefully.  He  thinks  himself 
shrewd,  but  I  will  be  shrewder  than  he.  Yes,  that's  the 
idea — courage!  Au  revoir,  Christian!  Come,  Nils, 
light  me. — Ah,  stay,  Christian !  here,  it  seems  to  me,  is 
Master  Puffo  !  " 

In  fact,  M.  Goefle  passed  Puffo  as  he  went  out. 

"  So,  here  you  are  ! "  said  Christian  to  his  servant. 
"  Are  you  doing  better  to-day?  " 

"  I  am  doing  capitally,  master,"  replied  the  Livornese, 
in  an  even  ruder  tone  than  usual. 

"  Well  then,  my  lad,  to  work  !  we  have  not  a  moment 
to  lose.  We  shall  play  The  Marriage  of  Folly,  the  piece 
that  you  know  best :  you  know  it  by  heart,  and  will  not 
need  a  rehearsal." 

"  No,  if  you  don't  put  in  too  many  of  your  new  gags." 

"  I'll  do  as  I  choose  about  that ;  but  I  will  not  fail  to 
give  you  your  cues,  so  don't  be  alarmed.  Go  at  once  to 
the  new  chateau  with  the  ass  and  baggage  ;  put  up  the  the- 
atre, arrange  the  scenery.  Stay  —  since  we  have  selected 
the  piece,  you  may  as  well  take  the  manuscript.  For  my 
part,  I  will  dress  the  actors,  and  follow  you.  If  you 
must  absolutely  run  through  the  scenes,  we  shall  have 
time  enough  over  there.  The  audience,  you  know, 
always  takes  a  quarter  of  an  hour  to  find  seats  and  get 
quiet." 

Puffo  started  to  go  out ;  but,  after  taking  a  few  steps, 
paused  and  hesitated.  Johan,  while  keeping  him  a  pris- 
oner at  Stollborg  without  his  knowing  it,  had  aroused 
him  against  his  master  by  his  insinuations,  and  Puffo 
was  impatient  to  get  into  a  quarrel  with  him.  Still,  he 
knew  him  to  be  agile  and  determined,  and  perhaps  also  a 


THE  SNO  W  MAN.  455 

feeling  of  involuntary  affection  for  Christian  had  glided, 
unperceived,  into  .some  hidden  corner  of  his  brutal  and 
corrupt  soul.  He  took  courage,  however. 

"  That  is  not  all,  Master  Christian,"  he  said  ;  "I  want 
to  know  who  the  rascal  was  who  exhibited  the  marion- 
ettes with  you  last  evening  ?  " 

"  Oh,  ho  !  "  replied  Christian,  "  you  are  beginning  to 
be  uneasy,  are  you  ?  What  makes  you  suspect  that  there 
was  any  performance  last  evening  ?  " 

"I  know  there  was  one,  and  that  I  took  no  part  in  it." 

"  Are  you  quite  sure?  " 

"  I  was  a  little  drunk,"  said  Puffo,  raising  his  voice, 
"  I  confess ;  but  I  have  heard  the  truth  to-day,  and  I 
know  all  about  it." 

"The  truth,"  said  Christian,  laughing;  "would  not 
one  say  that  I  had  concealed  it  from  your  excellency? 
I  have  not  seen  you  to-day,  Siguor  Puffo,  and  even  if  I 
had,  I  am  not  aware  that  I  owe  you  an  account — " 

"  I  want  to  know  who  took  the  liberty  of  touching  my 
marionettes  ?  " 

"  Your  marionettes,  which  belong  to  me,  though  you 
seem  to  forget  it,  will  tell  you,  perhaps  ;  ask  them." 

"  I  don't  need  to  question  them  to  know  that  some  one 
or  other  took  the  liberty  of  replacing  me,  and,  apparently, 
of  earning  my  wages." 

"Suppose  it  were  so?  were  you  in  condition  to  say 
a  single  word  last  evening  ?  " 

"  You  ought,  at  least,  to  have  tried  me,  or  else  to  have 
given  me  warning." 

"  I  must  confess  that  I  did  not  show  you  that  consid- 
eration," replied  Christian,  impatiently  ;  "  but  I  omitted 
to  do  so  on  purpose,  so  as  to  avoid  the  temptation  of  pun- 
ishing you,  as  you  deserved,  for  your  drunkenness." 

"  Punishing  me !  "  cried  Puffo,  advancing  upon  him 
in  a  threatening  manner.  "  Try  it  a  little  !  Come  on  ! " 

At  the  same  time  he  caught  up  a  marionette,  and 
brandished  it  over  his  master's  head  like  a  club.  The 
weapon,  though  comical,  was  none  the  less  dangerous, 
for  the  head  of  the  burattino  is  necessarily  made  of  very 
hard  wood,  so  as  to  prevent  it  from  being  broken  in  the 


456 


THE   SNO  W  MAN. 


stage  fights.  Holding  the  little  figure  by  its  leathern  skirt, 
and  hurling  it  like  a  flail,  Puffo  might  have  broken  his 
adversary's  head,  and,  perhaps,  wished  to  do  so.  Chris- 
tian seized  the  marionette  as  it  came,  and,  with  the  other 
hand,  caught  Puffo  by  the  throat,  and  threw  him  at  his 
feet. 

"  Cursed  drunkard  ! "  he  said,  putting  his  knee  on  his 
breast,  "  you  deserve  a  sound  beating,  but  I  scorn  to 
strike  you.  Off  with  you  !  I  discharge  you  on  the  spot, 
and  never  want  to  hear  of  you  again.  I  have  paid  you 
your  week's  wages,  and  owe  you  nothing ;  but  as  you 
may  have  spent  it  all  for  drink,  I  will  give  you  enough 
to  return  to  Stockholm.  Get  up,  and  don't  try  any  more 
of  your  deviltries,  or  I  will  strangle  you  !  " 

Puffo,  who  was  a  good  deal  bruised,  got  up  in  silence. 
Though  brutal,  he  was  not  naturally  an  assassin,  and 
he  was  humiliated  and  cowed.  Perhaps  he  felt  that  he 
was  in  the  wrong ;  but  his  first  and  great  anxiety  was  to 
pick  up  a  dozen  pieces  of  gold  that  had  slipped  from  his 
belt,  and  rolled  over  the  floor. 

"What  is  that?"  cried  Christian,  noticing  what 
he  was  about,  and  seizing  him  by  the  arm.  "  Stolen 
money  ?  " 

"  No  ! "  cried  the  Livornese,  lifting  his  hand  with  an 
heroic  gesture,  which  was  sufficiently  absurd ;  "  I  have 
not  stolen  anything  here.  That  money  is  mine.  They 
gave  it  to  me." 

"  What  for?     Come,  speak  —  I  insist  upon  it !  " 

"  They  gave  it  to  me  because  they  wanted  to.  It  is 
nobody's  business." 

"  Who  gave  it  to  you?     Was  it  not?  —  " 

Christian  paused,  fearing  to  betray  suspicions  which  it 
was  more  prudent  to  conceal. 

"Out  of  my  sight !"  he  said,  "and  go  quickly;  for 
if  I  discover  that  you  are  something  worse  than  a  drunk- 
ard, I  will  kill  you  on  the  spot !  Go,  and  woe  to  you  if 
you  ever  let  me  see  you  again  !  " 

Puffo  retreated  in  a  great  fright.  Christian,  to  keep 
him  at  a  distance,  had  laid  his  hand,  purposely,  on  the 
major's  large  Norwegian  knife,  and  the  sight  of  this 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


457 


terrible  weapon  was  quite  sufficient  to  alarm  the  Bohe- 
mian, whose  great  fear  was  that  Christian  would  take  his 
money  from  him,  and  insist  upon  knowing  how  he  had 
obtained  this  unexplained  wealth. 

The  Livornese  left  the  donjon  in  a  very  undecided 
state  of  mind.  Johan,  who  sometimes  took  the  liberty 
of  exceeding  the  baron's  secret  instructions,  had  not 
given  him  this  money  with  a  precise  understanding  that 
he  was  to  undertake  what  the  trembling  Puffo,  in  the 
language  of  the  road,  called  a  bad  job ;  but  to  persuade 
him  to  remain  quiet  in  case  his  master  should  be  pro- 
voked, and  drawn  into  some  unequal  scuffle.  Johan  had 
got  everything  out  of  him  that  he  knew  ;  he  had  learned, 
through  him,  that  Christian  was  fiery  and  intrepid. 
Without  compromising  the  baron,  he  had  given  him  to 
understand  that  his  master  had  offended  some  very  pow- 
erful person  at  the  chateau,  and  that  they  had  discovered 
him  to  be  a  French  spy,  and  a  very  mysterious  and  dan- 
gerous person.  The  lie,  although  glaring,  was  not  suf- 
ficiently gross  to  have  much  effect  upon  Puffo,  for  he  did 
not  know  or  care  anything  about  politics  ;  but  what  he 
did  understand  was,  the  sum  of  money  slipped  into  his 
pocket.  He  was  intelligent  enough  to  follow  out  the  fol- 
lowing course  of  reasoning:  "If  they  pay  me  for  stand- 
ing by,  they  will  pay  me  more  for  acting  ! "  Accordingly, 
he  resolved  to  get  the  start  of  any  one  else.  He  attacked 
Christian,  supposing  that  he  would  be  without  weapons, 
or  means  of  defence  ;  but  he  lost  courage,  and,  perhaps, 
also  faltered  a  little  in  his  wicked  purpose.  Christian 
was  so  good,  that  the  scoundrel's  hand  trembled,  in  spite 
of  himself.  Now  that  he  was  defeated  and  humiliated, 
what  should  he  do  ? 

While  Puffo  was  reflecting  to  the  best  of  his  very  lim- 
ited ability,  Christian,  more  depressed  and  fatigued  in 
mind  than  in  body,  sat  down  to  his  coffee,  and  sank  into 
a  melancholy  revery. 

"  What  a  sad  life  !  "  he  said  to  himself,  gazing  mechan- 
ically upon  the  marionette  lying  upon  the  floor,  which  had 
come  so  near  cutting  his  head  open.  "  What  poor  company 
men  without  education  are  !  And  yet  I  shall  have  to  be 


458 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


with  them  now  more  than  ever  !  If  I  return  to  the  dregs 
of  the  people,  whence  I  probably  emerged,  after  trying  in 
vain  to  elevate  my  condition,  I  shall  often  be  obliged,  I 
suppose,  to  put  down,  by  the  force  of  my  fist,  brutal 
wretches  like  this  Puffo,  who  cannot  be  influenced  by 
kindness  and  affection.  Oh,  Jean  Jacques  !  was  it  such 
a  life  as  this  that  you  dreamed  of  for  your  Emile  ?  And 
yet  you  yourself  were  stoned  in  your  humble  chalet,  and 
were  forced  to  abandon  the  rustic  liie  you  loved,  because 
you  could  not  make  yourself  feared  by  those  who  were 
incapable  of  comprehending  you  ! 

"  Come,  let  me  see  you !  Which  of  you  was  it  who 
came  so  near  killing  me  just  now?"  he  continued,  raising 
his  voice  to  revive  his  spirits,  and  picking  up  the  marion- 
ette, which  was  lying  with  its  face  to  the  floor.  "  O 
Jupiter  !  you,  my  poor  little  Stentarello  !  you,  my  favor- 
ite, my  protege,  my  best  servant !  you,  the  oldest  of  my 
troupe,  lost  at  Paris  and  found  again  so  miraculously  in 
the  forests  of  Bohemia  !  No,  it  is  impossible  !  you  would 
not  have  harmed  me ;  you  would  rather  have  turned 
against  the  assassin.  You  are  worth  much  more  than 
a  host  of  gigantic  marionettes  I  know  of;  stupid  and 
wicked  marionettes,  who  claim  to  belong  to  the  human 
race,  and  whose  hearts  are  as  hard  as  their  heads.  Come, 
my  little  friend,  put  on  a  white  collar,  and  let  me  brush 
your  coat,  which  is  covered  with  dust.  I  swear  that  I 
will  never  again  abandon  you !  You  shall  travel  with 
me,  though  it  must  be  in  secret,  since  otherwise  serious 
people  would  laugh  at  us.  But  still  you  shall  go,  and 
when  you  feel  sad  and  lonely,  because  you  miss  the  blaze 
of  the  footlights,  we  two  will  talk  together  and  console 
each  other.  I  will  confide  my  sorrows  to  you,  and  your 
sweet  smile  and  bright  eyes  will  recall  to  my  mind  the 
follies  of  the  past ;  the  dreams  of  love  born  and  vanished 
within  the  gloomy  walls  of  Stollborg !  " 

A  child's  laugh  made  Christian  start  and  turn  round. 
It  was  Master  Nils,  who  had  come  in  on  tip-toe,  and  who 
was  jumping  with  joy  and  clapping  his  hands  at  the  sight 
of  the  animated,  and,  as  it  were,  living  marionette,  mov- 
ing and  gesticulating  on  Christian's  nimble  fingers. 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


459 


"  Oh  !  give  me  that  pretty  little  boy,"  cried  the  delighted 
child ;  "  lend  him  to  me  a  moment,  so  that  I  can  play 
with  him !  " 

"  No,  no  !"  said  Christian,  who  was  in  a  hurry  to  ar- 
range Stentarello's  toilet ;  "  my  little  boy  plays  with  no 
one  but  myself;  and  besides,  there  is  no  time.  Is  not  M. 
Goeflc  coming  back?  " 

"  Oh  !  let  me  see  all  that !  "  resumed  the  enraptured 
Nils,  casting  a  dazzled  glance  into  the  box  that  Christian 
had  just  opened,  and  where  glittered,  pell-mell,  the  laced 
hats,  swords,  plumed  turbans,  and  pearl  coronets  of  his 
miniature  company.  Christian  tried  to  get  rid  of  Nils  by 
gentle  means  ;  but  the  child  was  so  crazy  to  see  and 
touch  all  these  wonders,  that  he  was  obliged  to  speak  in  a 
loud  voice,  and  roll  his  eyes  fiercely,  to  keep  him  from 
running  away  with  his  actors  and  their  wardrobe.  Then 
he  began  to  pout,  and,  going  to  the  other  side  of  the  table, 
said  he  would  complain  to  M.  Goefle  that  no  one  would 
amuse  him.  His  aunt  Gertrude  had  told  him  that  he 
would  be  amused  when  he  went  travelling,  and  he  wasn't 
amused  at  all. 

"  But  I  don't  care  for  you,  you  great  wretch  !  "  he  said, 
making  a  face  at  Christian  ;  "  I  am  going  to  make  some 
pretty  paper  boats,  and  I  won't  let  you  see  any  of  them." 

"  All  right,  all  right !  "  replied  Christian,  who  kept  at 
work  arranging  the  costumes  of  the  marionettes  under 
the  supposition  that  he  could  rely  on  M.  Goefle's  assist- 
ance ;  "make  your  boats,  my  child  ;  make  a  great  many 
of  them,  and  leave  me  in  peace." 

While  pinning  hats  and  cloaks  to  the  heads  and  around 
the  necks  of  his  little  people,  Christian  glanced  every  mo- 
ment at  the  clock,  and  grew  impatient  for  M.  Goefle's  re- 
turn. He  wanted  to  send  Nils  to  the  gaard  to  beg  him 
to  make  haste,  but  Nils  pouted,  and  pretended  not  to 
hear. 

"  Provided,"  said  Christian  to  himself,  "we  have  time 
to  read  over  the  play  once,  it  will  be  sufficient ;  without 
that,  I  shall  be  lucky  if  I  can  recall  it  myself,  I  have  had 
so  much  on  my  mind  to-day.  Ah  I  I  promised  the  major 
a  hunting-scene  ;  where  shall  I  introduce  it  ?  No  matter 


460 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


where !  An  interlude,  stolen  from  the  scene  of  Moron 
with  the  bears,  in  the  Princesse  d'  Elide.  Stentarello  shall 
be  brave,  charming ;  he  shall  laugh  at  people  who  kill 
bears  through  a  net — like  the  baron,  for  instance.  But, 
good  heavens  !  I  hope  Puffo  has  not  carried  away  the 
manuscript ;  I  put  it  in  his  hands." 

Christian  began  to  search  everywhere  for  his  man- 
uscript. To  write  another  would  have  required  half  an 
hour's  work,  and  the  clock  was  striking  seven.  He 
rummaged  in  his  box,  which  contained  the  whole  of  his 
little  repertory.  He  upset  and  turned  over  everything ; 
he  was  in  a  fever.  The  idea  of  not  going  to  the  new 
chateau  at  the  appointed  hour ;  of  appearing  afraid  to 
encounter  the  baron's  hatred  (for  to  this  motive'  his  ab- 
sence might  be  attributed),  was  insupportable  to  him. 
He  was  seized  with  a  sudden  rage  against  his  enemy,  to 
which  his  love,  perhaps,  added  intensity.  He  was  burn- 
ing to  defy  the  Snow  Man  openly  in  Margaret's  presence, 
to  show  him  that  an  actor  was  more  courageous  than 
many  of  the  noble  guests  of  his  chateau. 

Just  then  he  looked  at  Nils  ;  he  was  very  quiet  and 
serious,  being  busily  occupied  in  making  what  he  was 
pleased  to  call  his  little  boats.  Around  him  there  was 
a  pile  of  papers,  which  he  was  cutting  up  for  the  purpose. 
He  would  take  a  slip  of  paper,  fold  it,  refold  it,  and,  if 
the  boat  did  not  succeed  according  to  his  liking,  tear  it, 
rumple  it  up,  and  throw  it  to  the  floor. 

"  Ah,  bad  boy !  "  cried  Christian,  snatching  from  him 
a  handful  of  torn  fragments ;  "  you  are  cutting  up  my 
manuscript  into  boats  !  " 

Nils  began  to  cry  and  scream,  declaring  that  the  papers 
were  not  Christian's,  and  trying  to  fight  with  him  to  get 
them  back. 

Suddenly  Christian,  who  was  hastily  unfolding  the 
boats  to  try  and  collect  the  pages  of  his  comedy,  became 
serious,  and  remained  motionless.  These  papers,  in  fact, 
were  not  his,  the  writing  was  not  his  ;  and  yet  his  name, 
or  rather  one  of  his  names,  traced  by  an  unknown  hand, 
had,  as  it  were,  riveted  his  gaze.  The  first  sentence  he 
read  aroused  his  curiosity  to  the  utmost ;  and  this  sen- 


THE   SNOW  MAN.  461 

tence,  written  in  Italian,  was  as  follows :  "  Christian  del 
Lago  is  fifteen  years  old  to-day." 

"  Stay !  "  he  said  to  the  child,  who  kept  on  teasing,  and 
demanding  his  paper,  as  he  called  it ;  "  play  with  the 
marionettes,  and  leave  me  alone." 

Nils,  seeing  a  handful  of  little  men  on  the  table,  rushed 
up  to  them  with  delight,  and  found  enough  to  do  in  look- 
ing at  them  and  touching  them,  while  Christian,  taking 
the  chair  that  the  child  had  just  left,  and  placing  the 
candle  by  his  side,  began  to  decipher  the  papers  before 
him,  consisting,  apparently,  of  a  file  of  old  letters.  The 
writing  Avas  detestable,  and  the  Italian,  style  and  orthog- 
raphy, all  of  a  piece,  but  every  word  which  he  read,  or 
guessed,  seemed  to  him  more  and  more  extraordinary, 
and  caused  him  the  liveliest  amazement. 

"Where  did  you  get  these  papers?"  he  said  to  the 
child,  while  continuing  to  collect  the  torn  and  rumpled 
fragments. 

"Ah,  monsieur,  how  handsome  you  are  with  your 
great  moustache  !  "  cried  Nils,  gazing  in  ecstasy  upon  the 
marionette. 

"Answer,  will  you?"  cried  Christian;  "where  did 
you  find  these  papers  ?  Do  they  belong  to  M.  Goefle  ?  " 

"  No,  no,"  replied  Nils,  at  last,  after  making  him  re- 
peat the  question  several  times.  "-I  did  not  take  them 
from  M.  Goefle  ;  he  threw  them  away,  and  the  papers 
he  throws  away  are  mine.  They  are  for  making  boats ; 
M.  Goefle  said  so  this  morning." 

"You  are  telling  a  story!  M.  Goefle  did  not  throw 
these  papers  away.  These  are  letters ;  people  do  not 
throw  letters  away,  they  keep  them,  or  they  burn  them. 
You  took  them  out  of  the  drawers  of  this  table." 

"  No." 

"  From  the  room,  then,  where  he  sleeps?" 

"  No,  no  !  " 

"  Tell  the  truth,  at  once  !" 

"  No !  " 

"  I  will  pull  your  ears." 

"No  you  won't ;  I'll  run  away." 


462  THE   SNO  W  MAN. 

Christian  stopped  Nils,  who  tried  to  make  his  escape 
with  the  marionettes. 

"  If  you  tell  me  the  truth,"  he  said,  "  I  will  give  you 
a  pretty  little  horse  with  a  red  and  gold  saddle-cloth." 

"  Let  me  see  it." 

"  Now,"  said  Christian,  handing  him  the  plaything, 
which  was  one  of  his  properties,  "  speak,  brat !  " 

"  Well,"  said  the  child,  "  this  is  how  it  was  :  I  went 
just  now,  to  light  M.  Goefle  to  M.  Stenson's  house  — 
you  know  who  I  mean,  the  old  man,  who,  they  say, 
cannot  hear  anything,  who  lives  in  the  other  court." 

"  Yes,  I  know  ;  go  on  quickly,  and  tell  the  truth,  or  I 
will  take  back  my  horse." 

"  Well,  I  stayed  there  to  wait  for  M.  Goefle  ;  I  was  in 
M.  Stenson's  room,  where  there  was  a  fire,  and  M.  Goefle 
•was  in  the  office  next  to  it,  talking  loud  to  M.  Stenson." 

"  What  were  they  saying?  " 

"I  don't  know,  I  did  not  listen ;  I  was  playing  mak- 
ing a  fire  in  the  chimney.  And  then,  all  at  once,  some 
men  came  into  the  office,  and  they  said  :  '  Monsieur  Sten- 
son, his  lordship  has  been  waiting  for  you  for  an  hour. 
Why  do  you  not  come  ?  You  must  come  at  once ! ' 
And  then  they  quarrelled  about  it,  and  M.  Goefle  said : 
4  M.  Stenson  cannot  go ;  he  has  no  time.'  And  M. 
Stenson  said  :  '  I  must  go  —  I  am  not  afraid  of  anything — 
I  will  go  at  once.'  And  then  M.  Goefle  said  :  '  I  will  go 
with  you.'  Then  I  went  into  the  office  because  I  was 
afraid  they  were  going  to  hurt  M.  Goefle,  and  there  I 
saw  three  —  or  six  men,  dressed  in  very  nice  livery." 

"Three  — or  six?" 

"  Or  four  —  I  could  not  count ;  I  was  afraid.  But  M. 
Goefle  cried  out,  '  Go  away  with  you  ! '  and  he  pushed 
me  on  to  the  staircase,  and  threAV  this  bundle  of  papers 
after  me  without  any  one  seeing  him.  Perhaps  he  did  not 
want  them  to  know  that  he  gave  it  to  me  so,  and  then  I 
picked  it  up,  and  ran  away,  and  that  is  all !  " 

"And  you  did  not  tell  me,  idiot!  What  if  M. 
Geofle  — " 

Christian  paused,  knowing  that  it  was  useless  to  com- 
plain, and,  gathering  up  the  papers  as  quickly  as  possible, 


THE   SNOW  MAN.  463 

he  shut  them  up  in  his  box,  took  the  key,  and  hastened 
out.  The  events  thickening  around  him  were  becoming 
more  and  more  incomprehensible,  and  he  felt  very  anxious 
about  the  lawyer's  situation. 

Nils  had  already  burst  into  a  roar  at  being  left  alone 
with  the  marionettes,  which  frightened  him  a  little,  fas- 
cinating as  they  were,  when  M.  Goefle  met  Christian  in 
the  passage,  and  brought  him  back  into  the  bear-room. 
He  was  pale  and  agitated. 

"  Yes,  yes,"  he  said  to  Christian,  who  assailed  him 
with  questions,  "fasten  the  doors.  Something  serious  is 
going  on  here.  Where  is  Nils?  Ah,  there  you  are,  little 
one  !  Where  did  you  put  the  bundle  of  papers  ?  " 

"  He  was  cutting  them  up  into  boats,"  said  Christian ; 
"  here  they  are,  all  torn,  but  nothing  is  wanting.  I  picked 
up  every  scrap.  But  what  are  these  strange  letters  about 
me,  Monsieur  Goefle?  " 

"  They  are  about  you,  are  they?  Are  you  sure  of 
it!" 

"Perfectly  sure." 

"  Have  you  read  them  ?  " 

"  I  have  not  had  time.  Master  Nils  made  it  a  diffi- 
cult task,  and  then  the  writing  is  villanous ;  but  I  am 
going  to  read  them.  M.  Goefle,  the  secret  of  my  life  is 
there." 

"In  truth?  Yes,  I  suspected,  I  was  sure,  Christian, 
that  you  were  the  person  they  treated  of!  But  I  gave 
my  word  to  Stenson,  on  receiving  this  deposit,  not  to 
read  the  letters  before  his  death  or  the  baron's." 

"  But  I,  for  my  part,  have  made  no  promise,  M. 
Goefle.  Chance  has  placed  these  papers  in  my  hand  :  I 
have  saved  them  from  destruction  ;  they  are  mine." 

"  Indeed?"  said  M.  Goefle  smiling.  "  Well,  now  that 
I  think  about  it,  I  had  not  finished  my  oath,  after  all, 
when  we  were  interrupted  —  No,  no,  I  swore  solemnly 
yesterday,  in  regard  to  another  deposit ;  but,  as  to  this 
one,  I  remember  now  that  I  had  not  completed  my  oath. 
Besides,  Steuson  was  about  to  confide  in  me  fully.  I 
had  begun  writing  my  questions,  so  as  not  to  have  to  raise 
my  voice  to  the  poor  deaf  old  man.  I  was  speaking  of 


464  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

you,  of  my  suspicions,  and  I  felt  that  there  were  spies 
about  us.  You  must  have  seen  some  of  my  writing  in 
pencil,  on  the  loose  sheets?" 

"  Yes,  I  did,  and  thought  that  must  have  been  the  way 
of  it.  Read  the  letters,  then." 

'"  Letters,  are  they  letters?  Give  them  to  me  —  But 
no,  we  ought  rather  to  hide  them.  We  are  surrounded, 
watched,  Christian.  At  this  very  moment  I  am  sure 
they  are  rummaging  and  robbing  Stenson's  office.  They 
have  carried  off  Ulphilas.  Who  knows  whether  they 
will  not  attack  us?" 

"  Attack  us?  But,  in  fact,  it  is  quite  possible  !  Puffo 
tried  just  now  to  take  me  by  surprise,  in  the  German 
fashion.  He  raised  his  hand  upon  me,  and  he  had  gold 
in  his  pockets.  I  was  obliged  to  kick  the  clown  out  of 
doors." 

"  And  you  were  wrong.  You  should  have  tied  him, 
and  shut  him  up  here.  He  is  now  perhaps  with  the 
baron's  cutthroats.  Come,  Christian,  we  must  find  a 
hiding-place  for  these  papers  before  attending  to  any- 
thing else ! " 

"  Pshaw  !     A  hiding-place  is  never  of  any  use." 

"  Yes,  indeed !  " 

"Very  well  then,  you  find  one,  Monsieur  Goefle,  while 
I  make  ready  my  weapons ;  that  is  the  surest  way. 
Where  are  these  cutthroats'?" 

"Who  knows?  I  saw  Johan  and  his  band  go  out 
with  Stenson,  and  I  locked  the  door  of  the  court  after 
them.  But  they  may  come  from  the  other  side,  for  the 
lake  is  a  solid  plain  now ;  they  may  have  come  already. 
Do  you  hear  anything?" 

"  Nothing.  And  why,  in  Heaven's  name,  should  they 
come  and  attack  us  here  ?  Say,  Monsieur  Goefle,  let  us 
reason  a  little  about  our  situation,  and  not  be  alarmed 
without  any  cause." 

"  You  cannot  reason  about  it,  Christian,  for  you  have 
no  knowledge  to  go  upon !  As  for  me,  I  know  —  or  I 
think  I  know  —  that  the  baron  has  fully  resolved  to  dis- 
cover who  you  are,  and,  when  he  is  satisfied,  who  can 
say  what  course  he  will  pursue?  Possibly  they  will 


THE   SNOW  MAN.  465 

keep  us  prisoners  here,  until  he  arrives  at  some  decision. 
They  have  just  arrested  Stenson  —  yes,  arrested,  that  is  the 
word.  At  first,  that  scoundrel  of  a  Johan  came  in  and 
invited  him  politely  enough  ;  but  when  the  terrified  old 
man  hesitated,  and  when-  I  sought  to  detain  him,  the 
other  servants  showed  themselves,  and  if  he  had  resisted, 
would  have  carried  him  off  by  force.  It  was  my  inten- 
tion to  follow  him.  I  am  satisfied  that  they  would  not 
dare  injure  him  before  me,  and  I  proposed  to  go  with 
him  into  the  baron's  presence,  and,  if  necessary,  to  stir 
up  the  latter's  guests  against  him.  In  fact  I  actually 
did  start  in  advance  of  them  all,  but,  under  cover  of  the 
fog,  returned,  for,  on  the  other  hand,  to  leave  you  alone  — 
I  could  not  make  up  my  mind  what  to  do  !  If  the  baron 
wants  to  extort  some  secret  from  Steuson,  he  will  begin 
by  wheedling  him,  and  we  shall  have  time  enough  to  go 
to  his  rescue  —  that  thought  decided  me.  And  now, 
Christian,  let  us  go  —  Yet  stay! — It  is  absolutely  neces- 
sary that  we  should  solve  this  mystery  —  that  we  should 
know  the  real  facts  of  the  case  before  acting !  Stand 
neutinel,  then,  guard  the  door,  they  will  not  dare  break  it 
open  —  the  devil !  I  am  at  home  here ;  you  are  right. 
They  will  not  venture  to  drag  me,  as  they  did  that  poor 
old  overseer,  before  their  master.  What  excuse  could 
they  offer?" 

"None,  most  surely  ;  so  be  tranquil,  M.  Goefle.  This 
great  door  is  solid,  that  of  the  bed-room  is  no  less  so, 
and  I  can  answer  for  the  door  of  the  secret  chamber ;  I 
will  guard  them.  Read,  and  read  quickly.  We,  at 
least,  have  always  an  excuse  for  going  to  the  new  cha- 
teau, since  they  have  not  countermanded  the  comedy  of 
marionettes." 

"Yes,  yes,  certainly,  we  must  know  where  we  stand, 
and  who  we  are ! "  cried  M.  Goefle,  exalted  by  the  spirit 
of  investigation,  which  is  the  soul,  the  inspiration  of  the 
lawyer's  profession.  "  I  shall  get  through  with  it  sooner 
than  you  would,  Christian,  for  ai'ranging  these  fragments, 
and  making  out  these  hieroglyphs,  is  in  the  regular  course 
of  my  business.  Five  minutes'  patience,  I  ask  no  more 

30 


466  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

than  that.  As  for  you,  Master  Nils,  talk  low  with  your 
marionettes." 

As  he  spoke,  M.  Goefle,  with  remarkable  promptness, 
began  arranging  the  letters  according  to  their  dates,  read- 
ing them  as  he  went  on,  and  completing  the  sense,  where 
it  was  wanting,  with  a  veritable  eagle's  glance.  Every 
trace,  every  line  of  this  mysterious  package  of  papers  he 
examined  carefully,  sometimes  questioning  Christian,  and 
sometimes  himself,  as  if  to  recall  certain  facts. 

"  '  The  young  man  is  very  happy  in  his  home  with  the 
GofFredis  —  he  is  much  beloved.'  That  refers  to  you, 
I  should  rather  think.  And  yet,  in  certain  places,  he 
says  :  '  My  nephew,'  and  it  is  still  you  he  is  speaking  of. 
'  My  nephew  has  gone  into  the  country,  to  Lake  Perugia, 
with  the  GofFredis.  The  young  man  is  fifteen  years 
old  to-day  —  He  is  tall  and  strong,  and  resembles  his 
father  — '  Oh,  yes,  certainly,  Christian,  you  resemble 
him." 

"My  father?  Who,  then,  is  my  father?  "  cried  Chris- 
tian. l '  Do  you  know  ?  " 

"Stay,"  said  M.  Goefle,  "handing  him  a  medallion, 
which  he  drew  from  his  pocket,  with  much  emotion. 
Look  at  that.  Stenson  just  confided  it  to  me.  It  is  a 
portrait  closely  resembling  the  original  —  authentic!  — 
Might  it  not  have  been  taken  for  you  ?  " 

"  Heavens  ! "  said  Christian,  gazing  at  the  beautiful 
miniature  almost  with  a  feeling  of  terror;  "I  don't 
know,  I  am  sure  !  It  is  a  young  man,  richly  dressed  ;  is 
it  not  Baron  Olaus  in  his  youth?" 

"No,  no,  God  be  praised,  it  is  not  he!  But  do  not 
say  a  word,  Christian,  I  must  read  on  ;  I  am  beginning 
to  understand !  In  another  letter,  you  are  designated  as 
'  your  nephew,'  and  no  longer  '  my  nephew ' ;  and  in 
still  another,  '  your  nephew.'  It  is  quite  evident  that  it 
is  a  precaution  to  turn  aside  suspicions  in  case  the  letters 
are  intercepted,  for  you  are  not  related  either  to  the  man 
who  wrote  these  letters,  or  to  Stenson,  to  whom  they  are 
addressed." 

"Stenson  !  Is  it  to  him,  then,  that  some  one  has  sent 
this  accurate  account  of  my  health,  my  progress,  and 


THE   SNOW  MAN.  467 

my  travels?  for  I  saw  enough  to  understand  that  this 
had  been  done,  in  turning  over  the  leaves.  Here  is  a 
letter  in  which  they  speak  of  my  duel ;  see,  it  is  dated 
at  Rome,  one  thousand  seven  hundred  — " 

"Wait! — oh,  yes,  I  see  it.  There  is  a  letter  every 
year.  '  He  has  had  the  misfortune  to  kill  Marco  Melfi, 
who  was'  —  then  follow  reflections.  'The  cardinal  has 
no  wish  to  be  revenged.  I  hope  to  discover  what  has 
become  of  our  poor  child.'  Ah,  here  is  a  letter  from 
Paris  :  '  It  is  impossible  to  find  him.  I  might  deceive 
you,  but  I  do  not  wish  to.  I  am  afraid  that  he  may 
have  been  arrested  in  Italy.  While  I  am  looking  for 
him  here,  he  perhaps  is  a  prisoner  in  the  castle  of  Saint 
Angelo  !'  Stay,  Christian  ! — don't  be  impatient.  Here 
is  a  letter  which  must  be  more  recent.  It  is  dated  the 
sixth  of  last  August,  Troppau,  Moravia:  'I  was  really 
upon  the  right  track  this  time  —  He  took  the  name  of 
Dulac  in  Paris,  as  I  supposed,  but  he  started  on  a  jour- 
ney, and,  most  unhappily,  has  perished  quite  recently.  I 
have  just  been  dining  at  an  inn  with  a  young  man  named 
Guido  Massarelli,  whom  I  knew  in  Rome,  and  who  was 
well  acquainted  with  him,  and  he  informed  me  that  he 
had  been  assassinated  in  the  forest  of  —  illegible  !.  '  I 
shall  give  up,  therefore,  any  further  search  for  him,  and 
as  my  little  commercial  transactions  require  me  to  go  to 
Italy,  I  shall  start  to-morrow  before  daybreak.  Do  not 
send  me  any  more  money  to  help  me  on  in  my  travels. 
You  are  not  rich,  for  you  have  always  been  honest. 
That  is  the  case,  too,  with  your  servant  and  friend, 
Ma  —  Mancini  —  Manucci. '  " 

"I  know  no  such  person  !"  said  Christian. 

"Manasses!"  cried  M.  Goefle;  "the  person  whom 
M.  Guido  mentioned  yesterday,  the  little  Jew  who  took 
such  an  inexplicable  interest  in  you." 

"That  was  not  his  name,"  rejoined  Christian. 

"  No  matter,  it  was  the  same  person,  I  am  sure  of  it," 
said  M.  Goefle.  "  His  name  was  Taddeo  Manasses. 
Stenson  told  me  so  yesterday.  This  is  the  only  time,  in 
the  course  of  the  correspondence,  that  he  signed  either  of 
his  names  in  full,  and  it  was  perhaps  the  last  time  that 


468  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

the  poor  wretch  ever  dipped  his  pen  into  ink ;  for, 
according  to  Massarelli,  he  is  dead,  and  I  will  stake  my 
life  upon  it  that  Massarelli  assassinated  him.  Stay, 
don't  speak,  Christian !  On  informing  Stenson  of  his 
death,  Massarelli  claimed  to  be  in  possession  of  a  terrible 
secret,  which  he  wanted  to  sell  him,  and  threatened,  if  he 
would  not  come  to  terms,  to  carry  it  to  the  baron  — the 
proof,  no  doubt.  Was  this  poor  Jew  addicted  to  drinking  ?  " 

"No,  not  that  I  know  of." 

"  Well,  then,  Guido  must  have  assassinated  him,  for 
the  sake  of  the  little  money  he  had  in  his  possession. 
He  found,  no  doubt,  some  letter  from  Stenson  on  his  per- 
son, and  learning  from  that  of  his  whereabouts,  came 
here  at  once  to  turn  the  adventure  to  account  —  Besides, 
this  Massarelli  may  have  given  the  Jew  some  narcotic 
when  they  dined  together  at  the  inn.  But  no,  since  it 
was  after  that  that  the  Jew  wrote  —  but  in  the  evening, 
or  the  next  day." 

"Alas  !  what  does  it  matter,  Monsieur  Goefle?  It  is 
quite  plain  that  Massarelli  discovered  the  secret,  what- 
ever it  may  be,  and  has  revealed  it  to  the  baron ; 
but,  as  for  me,  I  have  not  discovered  anything  as  yet 
about  myself,  except  that  M.  Stenson  is  interested  in 
me,  and  that  Manasses,  or  Taddeo,  was  his  confidant, 
and  has  faithfully  transmitted  to  him  news  about  me, 
and  finally,  that  my  existence  is  very  disagreeable  to 
Baron  Olaus.  Who  am  I  then,  in  the  name  of  Heaven  ? 
Do  not  make  me  languish  any  longer,  Monsieur  Goefle." 

"Ah,  patience,  patience,  my  friend!"  replied  the  law- 
yer, as  he  sought  a  hiding-place  for  his  precious  letters  ; 
"I  cannot  tell  you  yet.  I  have  been  certain  of  the  truth 
for  the  last  twenty-four  hours,  as  far  as  instinct  and 
reason  can  make  me  so ;  but  I  must  have  proofs,  and 
these  are  not  enough.  I  must  get  hold  of  them  —  where  ? 
how?  Let  me  reflect  —  if  I  can!  for  there  is  enough 
here  to  drive  one  crazy.  Papers  to  hide  —  Stenson  in 
danger  —  and  AVC  too,  perhaps!  However — oh,  yes! 
this  is  the  point,  Christian :  I  want  to  be  certain  that  it 
is  you  they  have  designs  against,  for  then  I  shall  know 
positively  who  you  are." 


THE   SNOW  MAN.  469 

"  It  is  easy  to  find  out  whether  the  baron's  intentions 
are  what  you  suppose.  I  will  go  over  to  the  chateau  to 
give  my  performance  as  if  nothing  were  the  matter,  and 
if  I  am  attacked,  as  I  am  so  well  armed  to-day,  I  will  try 
and  make  my  adversaries  confess." 

"I  really  believe,"  said  M.  Goefle,  who  had  finally 
succeeded  in  hiding  the  letters,  "that  it  would  be  pref- 
erable to  run  the  risk  of  a  fight  on  the  open  lake  than 
to  wait  here  until  they  run  us  down  in  this  gloomy  old 
den.  It  is  already  nine  o'clock,  and  we  were  to  have 
been  at  the  chateau  at  eight.  Yet  they  have  not  sent  to 
know  why  we  are  so  late.  That  is  singular !  Stay, 
Christian  !  Is  your  gun  loaded  ?  Take  it ;  for  my  part, 
I  will  take  my  sword.  I  am  neither  a  Hercules  nor  a 
bully ;  but  I  understood  fencing  in  my  youth,  like  all 
students,  and  if  we  are  waylaid  and  attacked  by  ruffians,  I 
don't  intend  to  let  them  slaughter  me  like  a  calf.  Prom- 
ise me,  swear  to  me,  to  be  prudent.  That  is  all  I  ask." 

"  I  give  you  my  word  that  I  will,"  replied  Christian. 
"Come!" 

"But  that  troublesome  brat,  who  has  fallen  asleep 
playing,  what  shall  we  do  with  him?" 

"Put  him.  to  bed,  Monsieur  Goefle;  I  don't  suppose 
they  have  any  designs  on  him." 

"But  those  cutthroats  will  kill  a  child  to  stop  it  from 
crying,  and  that  young  one  will  yell  with  all  his  might ; 
I  can  answer  for  that,  if  he  wakes  up  and  sees  strange 
people  about  him." 

"Well,  the  devil  take  him!  I  suppose  we  shall  have 
to  carry  him  with  us.  Nothing  would  be  easier,  if  we 
don't  meet  badly  disposed  people ;  but,  if  there  is  any 
fighting  to  be  done,  he  will  be  very  much  in  our  way,  and 
may  be  injured  himself." 

"  You  are  right,  Christian  ;  it  would  be  more  sensible 
to  leave  him  in  his  bed.  If  there  are  spies  around, 
they  will  soon  know  that  we  have  gone  out,  and  they 
will  have  no  reason  for  coming  in  here.  Keep  your  eye 
on  the  door.  This  time  I  shall  not  be  very  long  in  put- 
ting Master  Nils  to  bed  ;  he  can  sleep  in  his  clothes." 


470 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


XVII. 


MGOEFLE  had  scarcely  had  time  to  lay  his  valet- 
•  de-chambre  on  his  bed,  when  he  called  Christian. 

"  Listen  ! "  he  said  to  him  ;  "  it  is  through  this  room  that 
they  are  coming.  They  are  knocking  at  the  door." 

"  Who  goes  there  ?"  said  Christian,  loading  his  gun  and 
taking  his  stand  before  the  door  of  the  guard-room,  which 
opened,  the  reader  will  remember,  on  the  gallery  that 
surrounded  the  court. 

"Open,  open  —  it  is  we!"  replied  a  rough  voice,  in 
Dalecarlian. 

"Who?"  said  M.  Goefle. 

There  was  no  reply,  and  Christian  added : 

"  Are  you  afraid  to  give  your  names?" 

"  Is  it  you,  Monsieur  Waldo?"  said  a  sweet  and  trem- 
bling voice  in  reply. 

"  Margaret !  "  cried  Christian,  and  throwing  open  the 
door,  he  perceived  the  young  countess,  and  another  young 
lady  whom  he  had  seen  at  the  ball,  but  whose  name  he 
had  forgotten,  escorted  by  the  faithful  Peterson. 

"  Where  are  tliey?  "  asked  Margaret,  falling  breathless, 
and  almost  fainting,  upon  a  chair. 

u  Who?  Of  whom  are  you  speaking?"  he  asked,  ter- 
rified at  her  paleness  and  emotion. 

"  Major  Larrson,  the  lieutenant,  and  the  other  officers," 
replied  the  other  young  girl,  who  was  quite  as  much  out  of 
breath,  and  not  less  agitated  than  Margaret.  "Have  they 
not  come?" 

"  No  —  were  they  to  have  come  here?  " 

"  They  started  from  the  chateau  more  than  two  hours 
ago." 

"And — you  are  afraid  some  accident  has  happened 
to  them  ?  " 

"Yes, "  replied  Martina  Akerstrom,  for  it  was  she; 
"we  are  afraid — I  don't  know  what  we  were  afraid  of 
for  them,  since  they  started  altogether  ;  but  —  " 

"But  for  whom  then  were  you  afraid?"  said  M.  Goefle. 

"  For  you,  M.  Goefle,  for   you  !  "    replied    Margaret, 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


471 


eagerly.  "  We  have  discovered  that  you  are  in  great 
danger  here.  Did  you  not  suspect  it?  Yes,  yes,  for  I 
see  that  you  are  armed.  Have  they  come?  Have  you 
been  attacked  ?  " 

"Not  yet,"  replied  M.  Goefle.  "Is  it  certain,  then, 
that  we  are  to  be  attacked." 

"  Oh  !   we  are  only  too  sure  of  it !" 

"What!  they  threaten  me  also  —  me?"  replied  M. 
Goefle,  with  the  most  perfect  simplicity  and  good  faith. 
"  Speak,  dear  young  lady  —  are  you  quite  sure?  This  is 
really  very  strange  !  " 

"  I  am  not  sure  as  to  the  latter  point,"  said  Margaret, 
whose  paleness  was  suddenly  dissipated  by  a  vivid  blush, 
but  who  avoided  meeting  Christian's  eyes. 

"  Then,"  said  M.  Goefle,  without  seeming  to  observe 
the  young  girl's  embarrassment,  "it  is  he  —  he  alone 
that  they  have  designs  against  ?  " 

And  he  pointed  to  Christian,  whom  Margaret  persisted 
in  refusing  to  see  or  to  name,  which  did  not  prevent  her 
from  replying : 

"Yes,  yes,  it  is  he,  Monsieur  Goefle  ;  they  want  to  kill 
him." 

"  And  the  major  and  his  friends  know  this  also  ?  How 
is  it  that  they  have  not  come  ?  " 

"They  are  perfectly  sure  of  it,"  said  Martina,  "and 
if  they  have  not  arrived,  it  is  because  they  have  had  the 
same  luck  that  we  had ;  they  have  got  lost  in  the  fog, 
which  is  constantly  increasing." 

"You  have  been  lost  in  the  fog?"  said  Christian, 
deeply  moved  by  Margaret's  generous  solicitude. 

"  Oh,  only  for  a  little  while,"  she  answered.  "  Peter- 
son belongs  to  the  country,  and  he  soon  found  the  road ; 
but  the  gentlemen  must  have  mistaken  one  shore  of  the 
lake  for  the  other." 

"Place  a  light  in  the  window  of  the  bear-room,"  said 
M.  Goefle  ;  "  it  will  serve  to  guide  them." 

"  No,  no,"  said  Peterson,  "  they  will  not  see  it  any 
more  than  they  see  the  stars." 

"No  matter,  try  it,  at  any  rate,"  said  Martina. 

"  No,  my  dear  friend,"  replied  Margaret ;  "  the  assas- 


472 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


sins  are  probably  lost  also,  since  they  have  not  come.  We 
will  not  help  them  to  find  their  way  before  the  officers — " 

"We  shall  be  very  glad  to  welcome  the  officers,  most 
surely,"  rejoined  M.  Goefle;  "but  at  present  there  are 
three  of  us,  and  all  well  armed  ;  I  know  Peterson,  he  is 
a  strong  ally  —  and  then,  my  dear  young  ladies,  is  it  not 
possible  that  there  is  some  error  here?  Have  you  not 
mistaken  mere  inquisitive  rogues  for  assassins?  Where 
did  you  see  them?  " 

"  Tell  them,  Martinaj  tell  them  what  we  heard  ! "  said 
Margaret. 

"  Yes,  yes,  Monsieur  Goefle,  listen,"  resumed  Mar- 
tina, assuming,  artlessly,  a  pretty  little  air  of  importance. 
"  Two  hours  ago  —  or  two  hours  and  a  half,  perhaps  —  we 
young  folks,  as  they  call  us  over  at  the  chateau,  were 
playing  hide-and-seek  in  the  outer  buildings  of  the  new 
chateau.  I  was  with  Margaret  and  the  lieutenant.  We 
had  drawn  lots  for  the  different  parties,  and  then  we 
should  have  been  afraid,  we  two  young  girls,  to  go  all 
alone  into  gloomy  galleries  and  dark  rooms  where  we 
had  never  been  ;  we  were  obliged  to  have  a  cavalier  to 
accompany  us  !  The  lieutenant  did  not  know  much  more 
about  this  part  of  the  chateau  than  we  did  ourselves  ;  it 
is  so  large !  Well,  we  crossed  a  long,  deserted  gallery, 
and  went  down  a  little  staircase,  that  was  nearly  dark. 
The  lieutenant  was  leading  the  way,  and  as  there  were 
no  corners  or  passages  anywhere  around  that  would  be 
good  for  hiding,  we  went  straight  on,  until  we  could  scarcely 
see  at  all,  and  began  to  be  afraid  we  should  fall  down 
some  precipice,  and  then,  at  last,  he  stopped. 

"  '  I  begin  to  recognize  the  locality  now,'  he  said ; 
'  we  have  come  to  the  great  tower,  which  is  used  as  a 
prison.  There  can  be  no  prisoners  in  it,  for  the  door  is 
open.  If  we  go  down  into  the  cells  below,  I  answer  for 
it  that  they  will  have  some  trouble  in  finding  us  there.' 

"  With  that  he  was  going  down,  but  the  idea  of  bury- 
ing ourselves  in  those  subterranean  dungeons,  which  are 
said  to  be  so  gloomy  and  terrible,  frightened  Margaret, 
and  she  begged  him  to  stop. 

'"No,  no,' she  said;   'don't   go  any  further;  stay  at 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


473 


the  entrance.  Here  is  a  recess  in  the  wall,  almost  built 
up  ;  let  us  go  in  there,  and  don't  talk,  for  you  know  there 
are  spiel  in  this  game,  whose  duty  it  is  to  wander  about 
and  listen,  so  as  to  tell  the  others  where  we  are.' 

"  We  did  as  Margaret  wished  ;  but  scarcely  were  we 
in  our  hiding-place  when  we  heard  some  one  coming ; 
and,  thinking  they  were  already  on  our  track,  we  re- 
pressed our  laughter,  and  scarcely  even  ventured  to 
breathe.  Then  Ave  heard  the  very  words  that  I  am  going  to 
repeat  to  you.  They  were  spoken  by  two  men  who  came 
out  of  the  tower,  and  went  through  the  long  gallery  that 
had  brought  us  there.  They  were  talking  low,  but  they 
stopped  for  a  few  moments  at  the  door  of  the  tower,  to 
have  an  explanation,  and  this  is  what  they  said  : 

"  'Are  you  going  to  put  me  with  the  party  detailed  to 
guard  the  Italian  again?  I  am  tired  of  that  sort  of  ser- 
vice.' 

"  'No,  you  are  to  come  with  us  to  the  old  chateau. 
The  Italian  is  one  of  ourselves,  at  present ! ' 

"  '  So  ;  and  what  is  to  be  done  over  there?  ' 

"  I  cannot  tell  you  what  the  other  said,  for  we  did  not 
understand  it.  It  was  slang  talk,  it  seems,  such  as  rob- 
bers use  ;  but  they  repeated  the  name  of  Christian  Waldo 
several  times,  and  they  spoke,  also,  of  the  lawyer. 

"  '  The  lawyer,'  one  said,  '  oh,  he  will  be  of  no  ac- 
count. A  lawyer  always  runs  away.'  " 

"  That  remains  to  be  seen  ! "  cried  M.  Goefle.  "  And 
what  then  ?  " 

"And  then  they  said  something  about  an  ass,  and  a 
gold  goblet,  and  a  quarrel  they  were  to  engage  in  ;  it  was 
all  more  and  more  incomprehensible.  Finally,  the  two 
men,  who  had  stopped  just  before  us,  as  I  told  you,  con- 
cluded their  arrangements,  and  went  away. 

"  '  The  rendezvous  is  at  eight  o'clock,  on  the  lake,' 
said  one,  just  as  they  started. 

"  '  But  suppose  he  does  not  come?  '  said  the  other. 

"  '  In  that  case  we  will  go  on  to  Stollborg.  We  shall 
receive  orders.' 

"  As  soon  as  the  two  rascals  had  gone,  the  lieutenant 


474 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


made  us  come  out  of  our  hiding-place,  and  said,  in  a 
whisper :  m 

"  '  Not  a  word  here ! ' 

"  He  led  us  back  cautiously  to  the  great  hunting-gal- 
lery, and  then  said : 

'"Allow  me  to  leave  you,  and  to  go  in  search  of  the 
major.' 

"  The  lieutenant  had  understood  the  slang  of  these 
brigands  ;  they  were  to  accuse  M.  Christian  Waldo  of 
having  stolen  something,  and  to  attack  him,  to  carry  him 
to  the  tower,  and  to  kill  him  if  he  should  defend  himself; 
and  they  had  added  : 

"  '  And  that  would  be  the  best  of  all ! ' 

"  The  lieutenant  was  indignant.  He  said,  when  he  left 
us : 

"  '  The  real  mover  in  this  business  is  perhaps  of  higher 
rank  than  we  suppose.  Politics  is  at  the  bottom  of  it. 
Christian  Waldo  must  have  some  state  secret.'  " 

"  I  give  you  my  word  that  I  have  not,"  replied  Chris- 
tian, who  could  not  help  smiling  at  the  lieutenant's  sim- 
plicity. 

"  I  do  not  ask  you,  Monsieur  Christian,"  replied  the 
good  and  ingenuous  Martina ;  "  but  I  know  that  the  lieu- 
tenant, the  major,  and  Corporal  Duff,  swore  that  they 
would  do  their  duty,  and  protect  you,  even  if  this  should 
prove  a  signal  offence  to  his  lordship  the  baron.  How- 
ever, they  thought  the  greatest  prudence  would  be  nec- 
essary, and  they  urged  us  to  keep  the  whole  matter  a 
profound  secret.  They  started  on  foot,  well  armed,  and 
as  quietly  as  possible,  for  they  wanted  to  take  the  assas- 
sins by  surprise,  and  get  possession  of  their  secret. 

"  '  Go  on  with  the  game,'  they  said,  '  and  try  and 
prevent  the  others  from  observing  our  absence.' 

"  In  fact,  Margaret  and  I  pretended  to  keep  on  play- 
ing, until  the  time  came  to  separate  and  go  and  make 
our  toilets  for  the  evening ;  but,  instead  of  thinking  of 
dressing  ourselves,  we  could  think  of  nothing  but  of  look- 
ing out  of  the  window  of  my  room,  so  as  to  try  and  see 
what  was  passing  on  the  lake.  But  the  fog  was  so  thick 
that  it  was  quite  impossible.  We  could  not  even  dis- 


TUB  SNOW  MAN. 


475 


tinguish  where  Stollborg  was.  And  then  we  listened 
with  all  our  ears,  for  sometimes  in  these  thick  fogs  you 
can  hear  the  slightest  sounds  with  perfect  distinctness. 
But  they  were  making  such  a  tumult  in  the  chateau,  and 
outside  the  moat,  with  their  fanfares  and  fireworks,  that 
it  seemed  as  if  they  were  doing  it  on  purpose,  so  as  to  pre- 
vent the  noise  of  a  quarrel  or  fight  from  being  heard. 
And  so  the  time  passed ;  and  then  suddenly  Margaret 
began  to  be  frightened — " 

"  And  you  also,  dear  Martina,"  said  Margaret,  in  some 
confusion. 

"  It  was  you,  dear  friend,  who  made  me  so,"  said  the 
fiancee  of  the  lieutenant,  frankly.  "At  last,  like  two 
mad  creatures,  we  started  off  with  Peterson,  persuaded 
that  we  should  meet  the  major  and  his  friends,  and  that 
they  would  restore  our  courage.  We  thought,  too,  as 
Peterson  knows  the  country  perfectly,  and  scarcely  ever 
makes  a  mistake,  that  we  should  be  able  to  guide  them 
to  the  old  chateau,  if  they  had  lost  their  way.  We  came 
on  foot,  and  did  not  go  much  astray,  except  that  we  ar- 
rived at  the  side  of  the  gaard,  instead  of  succeeding  in 
coming  straight  to  the  court.  But  Peterson  said : 

"  '  It  is  the  same  thing  ;  we  can  go  in  this  way  just  as 
well.' 

"And,  in  fact,  here  we  are,  without  well  knowing  how 
we  got  here.  But  in  all  this  time  we  have  not  met  a  sin- 
gle person ;  and  now  that  we  are  a  little  more  tranquil 
about  you,  I  think  we  have  reason  to  feel  seriously  un- 
easy about  the  major,  and  the  other  officers.*' 

"  Ah,  Margaret !  "  said  Christian,  in  a  low  voice,  to 
the  young  countess,  while  M.  Goefle,  Martina,  and  Peter- 
son consulted  together  to  see  what  had  best  be  done, 
"  you  came  thus  —  " 

"  Ought  I,"  she  replied,  "  to  have  allowed  such  a  man 
as  M.  Goefle  to  be  assassinated  without  trying  to  bring 
him  assistance?" 

"  No,  certainly,"  replied  Christian,  who  was  too  deeply 
and  sincerely  grateful  to  offend  her  delicacy,  even  by  ex- 
pressing his  gratitude  too  warmly  :  "  far  otherwise  ;  but 
your  courage  was  none  the  less  sublime.  You  might 


476 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


have  met  these  bandits.  Very  few  women  would  have 
carried  their  devotion,  their  humanity,  so  far  as  to  have 
come  themselves  —  " 

"  Martina  came  with  me,"  rejoined  Margaret,  eagerly. 

"  Martina  is  engaged  to  the  lieutenant,"  said  Christian  ; 
"  she  would  not,  perhaps,  have  been  willing  to  do  so  out 
of  consideration  —  for  M.  Goefle." 

"  I  ask  your  pardon,  Monsieur  Christian,  she  would 
have  come  to  help  any  one,  no  matter  who,  the  moment 
that  the  life  of  a  human  being  was  at  stake.  But  do  not 
think  of  that  now  ;  can't  you  learn  whether  these  gentle- 
men are  coming?  for,  when  all  is  said,  I  cannot  see  that 
the  danger  is  over." 

"  No,  in  fact,"  said  Christian,  collecting  his  ideas,  "  we 
are  actually  in  danger.  It  is  worth  thinking  about,  now 
that  you  are  here.  My  God  !  why  did  you  come  ?  " 

And  the  young  man,  torn  by  conflicting  emotions,  was 
at  the  same  time  delighted  because  she  had  come,  and 
tormented  by  the  thought  that  she  would,  perhaps,  be  ex- 
posed to  some  terrible  scene.  Besides,  would  not  the 
presence  of  these  two  young  girls  in  Stollborg  aggravate 
the  difficulties  of  their  situation  in  another  respect? 
Might  it  not  serve  as  the  exact  pretext  that  was  wanting 
for  an  open  invasion  ?  Although  Countess  Elveda  was  a 
careless  and  heartless  guardian,  it  was  quite  possible  that 
she  would  notice  her  niece's  absence,  if  she  had  not  al- 
ready done  so  ;  that  she  would  have  her  sought  for,  fol- 
lowed. Who  could  say? 

"One  thing  is  certain,"  said  Christian,  "  and  that  is 
that  she  must  not  be  seen  here." 

He  thought  of  conducting  her  and  her  companion  to 
Stenson's  gaard,  where  no  one  would  have  thought  of 
looking  for  them ;  but  the  enemy,  perhaps,  were  using 
Steuson's  dwelling,  at  this  very  moment,  as  a  post  of  ob- 
servation. In  the  midst  of  all  these  perplexities,  Chris- 
tian, who  replied  in  a  very  distracted  manner  to  M. 
Goefle's  agitated  questions,  formed  a  resolution  that  he 
did  not  impart  to  any  one  ;  this  was  to  quit  the  apart- 
ment, and  face  the  dangers  by  which  he  alone  was  threat- 
ened, either  in  the  passages  of  the  old  chateau,  or  on  the 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


477 


lake.  For  this  purpose  he  provided  himself  with  a  lan- 
tern, so  as  to  make  as  much  show  as  possible  in  the  fog, 
and  went  out  without  a  word.  He  hoped  that  M.  Goefle 
would  not  notice  his  absence  immediately ;  but  he  had 
scarcely  crossed  the  threshold  of  the  door  when  Marga- 
ret started  up,  crying : 

"  Where  arc  you  going?" 

"Yes,  where  are  you  going,  Christian?"  cried  M. 
Goefle,  hurrying  after  him.  "  Do  not  go  out  alone  !  " 

"  I  am  not  going  out,"  answered  Christian,  slipping 
rapidly  out  of  the  bear-room  ;  "  I  am  going  to  see  whether 
the  second  door,  that  opening  on  the  court,  is  fastened." 

"  AVhat  is  he  doing?"  said  Margaret  to  M.  Goefle; 
"  are  you  not  afraid?  —  " 

"  No,  no,"  answered  the  lawyer ;  "he  promised  to  be 
prudent." 

"  But  I  hear  him  drawing  the  bolts  of  the  second  door  ; 
he  is  opening  them  !  "  , 

"He  is  opening  them?  Oh,  then,  our  friends  have 
come !  " 

"  No,  no  !  he  is  going  out.     I  am  certain  of  it !  " 

And  Margaret  started  up  involuntarily,  as  if  to  follow 
Christian.  M.  Goefle  stopped  her,  and,  making  a  sign 
to  Peterson  not  to  leave  the  women,  he  tried  to  pursue 
him  himself.  But  Christian  had  already  fastened  the 
outer  door,  so  as  to  prevent  this  very  thing,  and  was  run- 
ning towards  the  main  entrance  of  the  court,  calling 
Larrson  in  a  loud  voice,  and  holding  himself  on  guard, 
in  case  he  should  be  attacked  by  the  assassins.  Sud- 
denly a  ball,  aimed  at  him,  struck  the  lantern  he  was 
holding  out  of  his  hand,  and  left  him  enveloped  in  the 
white  darkness,  which  the  light  of  the  moon  could  not 
penetrate,  and  which  was  clinging  like  a  shroud  to  the 
earth. 

At  the  sound  of  the  pistol-shot  a  terrible  oath  escaped 
M.  Goefle,  who  was  excessively  alarmed  about  his  young 
friend :  Martina  uttered  a  cry ;  Margaret  sank  into  a 
chair,  and  Peterson  ran  up  to  the  lawyer.  By  their 
united  efforts  they  might  have  succeeded  in  opening  the 
door,  but  they  did  not  understand  each  other.  Peterson, 


478  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

who  was  devoted  to  his  young  mistress,  was  thinking 
only  of  preventing  the  malefactors  from  entering,  and  did 
not  suspect  that  M.  Goefle,  on  the  contrary,  wanted  it 
thrown  open,  so  as  to  fly  to  Christian's  assistance. 

During  the  delay  caused  by  this  misunderstanding,  the 
good  lawyer  swore  roundly,  while  Christian,  delighted  at 
being  free  to  act  at  last,  rushed  upon  one  of  the  brigands, 
the  first  he  found  in  his  path.  The  latter  fled — de- 
ceived by  the  fog,  he  had  not  supposed  him  so  near,  and 
Christian  pursued  him,  with  shouts  of  insult  and  defi- 
ance, while  he,  in  his  turn,  was  followed,  swiftly  and 
silently,  by  another  of  the  party.  He  heard  the  assas- 
sin's steps,  plainly  audible  on  the  crisp,  hard  snow,  be- 
hind him  ;  and,  through  the  ringing  in  his  ears  —  for  he 
was  in  a  great  rage,  and  the  blood  was  coursing  through 
his  veins  at  a  tremendous  rate — it  seemed  to  him  that 
he  could  hear  other  steps  and  other  voices  approaching 
from  the  right  and  left.  .  He  could  not  doubt  that  he  was 
surrounded,  and,  without  losing  his  presence  of  mind,  he 
rushed  after  his  first  assailant  with  more  fury  than  ever, 
with  the  idea  that  it  would  not  do  to  turn  until  he  had 
disposed  of  him,  since  he  might  attack  him  from  behind, 
while  he  was  facing  the  others.  Besides,  he  did  not  lose 
sight  of  his  resolution  to  remove  th°,  struggle  as  far  as 
possible  from  Stollborg. 

He  descended  in  this  way  the  steep  declivity  leading  to 
the  lake,  whose  rapid  descent,  alone,  iudicrted  to  him  the 
direction  in  which  he  was  going,  for  he  could  see  noth- 
ing. But,  just  as  he  stepped  upon  the  smooth,  hard  ice 
of  the  lake,  there  were  several  reports  behind  him,  balls 
whistled  close  to  his  ear,  and  the  man  he  was  pursuing 
fell  at  two  steps  before  him.  Either  the  fugitive  had 
been  mistaken  for  him  by  his  accomplices,  or  the  latter 
had  fired  upon  them  both  at  random,  thinking,  perhaps, 
that  their  companion  deserved  to  be  shot,  for  having 
taken  flight. 

The  man  who  had  just  been  struck  was  Massarelli ; 
at  the  moment  that  Christian  strode  over  him  he  was 
uttering  a  last  groan  of  agony,  and  he  recognized  his 
voice.  He  ran  on,  so  as  to  gain  time  and  make  the 


THE  SNOW  MAN.  479 

most  of  his  position,  Avhile  the  assassins  collected  about 
Massarelli,  or,  at  least,  stopped  to  look  at  him,  so  as  to 
see  who  they  had  killed.  Pausing  to  listen,  he  heard 
these  words : 

"  Let  him  lie  ;  that  is  all  right ! " 

What  did  that  mean?  Had  the  assassins  mistaken 
Massarelli  for  their  proposed  victim,  and  were  they  go- 
ing to  withdraw  ?  or  had  they  recognized  their  mistake, 
and  would  they  continue  to  pursue  him?  By  making 
rapid  zigzags  in  the  ice,  he  hoped  to  get  rid  of  them, 
one  by  one,  and  he  tried  to  make  out,  from  their  steps 
and  voices,  how  many  he  had  to  contend  with.  He  had, 
without  thinking,  kept  on  the  soleless  and  seamless  felt 
boots  which  had  been  lent  him  in  the  morning  for  the 
hunt,  and  this  afforded  him  an  immense  advantage. 
Perfectly  supple,  he  could  move  about  in  them  as  freely 
as  if  his  feet  were  bare  ;  and,  besides,  they  made  scarcely 
any  sound  upon  the  ice,  while  he  could  hear  every  step 
of  his  companions,  Avho  were  not  so  well  shod  for  the 
occasion. 

He  listened  once  more.  They  were  approaching  him, 
but  they  did  not  see  him,  and  seemed  uncertain.  Not 
ten  steps  off  he  heard  these  brief  words  : 

"  He  !     It  is  I." 

Since  they  were  meeting,  unexpectedly,  in  the  fog, 
they  must  have  got  separated.  From  that  moment,  noth- 
ing would  have  been  easier  than  to  escape  them.  Chris- 
tian did  not  even  think  of  such  a  thing.  He  was  furious  ; 
and  he  wanted,  moreover,  to  prevent  the  scoundrels  from 
returning  to  seek  him  at  Stollborg.  He  called  to  them 
in  a  loud  voice,  naming  himself,  and  defying  them, 
drawing  back  scarcely  at  all,  but  tacking  about,  so  as  to 
irritate  and  draw  them  asunder.  His  hope  was  to  come 
up  with  one  of  them  without  allowing  himself  to  be  sur- 
rounded by  all,  and  he  had  his  wits  about  him  so  com- 
pletely that  he  succeeded,  before  long,  in  counting  them. 
There  were  three  of  them  still ;  Massarelli  had  made  the 
fourth. 

In  spite  of  his  astonishing  self-possession,  Christian 
was  tremendously  excited,  and,  mingling  with  his  other 


480  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

emotions,  he  was  conscious  of  a  wild,  fierce  delight,  like 
the  intoxication  of  gratified  vengeance.  So  strong  was 
this  feeling,  that  he  felt  almost  disappointed  when  he 
heard  still  other  steps  behind  him,  steps  as  soft  as  his 
own,  which  he  at  once  recognized  as  those  of  his  com- 
panions, who  were  shod,  like  himself,  in  felt  boots.  He 
was  afraid  that  the  bandits  would  make  their  escape  with- 
out fighting.  He  ran  to  meet  his  friends,  and  whispered, 
quickly : 

"  There  they  are,  three  of  them  ;  we  must  take  them 
prisoners  !  Follow  me,  and  silence  !  " 

Turning  instantly,  he  advanced  in  a  straight  line  upon 
the  enemy,  and  stopping  near  where  he  supposed  them  to 
be,  shouted  out  his  name  again,  and  mocked  and  jeered 
at  them  for  their  awkwardness  and  cowardice.  Just 
then  one  of  the  bandits  wounded  him  in  the  arm  with  a 
dagger,  and  fell  at  his  feet,  stunned  and  suffocated  by  a 
blow  which  Christian  gave  him  full  in  the  breast,  with  the 
handle  of  his  Norwegian  knife.  Christian  Avas  only 
slightly  wounded,  thanks  to  his  reindeer-skin  coat ;  and 
he  thanked  heaven  for  having  enabled  him  to  resist  his 
desire  of  serving  the  bandit  as  he  had  done  the  bear  on 
the  mountain.  It  was  very  important  to  capture  one,  at 
least,  of  the  baron's  bravos,  living.  The  two  others, 
concluding  that  all  was  lost  with  the  loss  of  their  chief, 
ran  up  to  each  other,  but  only  to  exchange  a  slang  con- 
fession of  defeat  and  flight  —  a  despairing  sauve  qui 
pent;  but  they  did  not  take  into  account  the  major 
and  the  lieutenant,  who  were  watching  them,  and  who 
seized  one,  while  only  the  third  escaped. 

"For  the  love  of  Heaven  !  are  you  wounded,  Waldo?" 
said  the  major,  while  Christian  assisted  him  to  disarm 
the  bandits. 

"No,  no  !"  replied  Christian,  who  would  not  have  felt 
his  wound  at  all,  but  for  the  warmth  of  the  blood  that 
filled  his  sleeve.  "Have  you  any  cords?" 

"Yes,  certainly;  enough  to  hang  them  all,  if  we  had 
the  right.  We  had  fully  resolved  to  make  these  fine 
gentlemen  prisoners.  But  if  you  are  not  too  much  out 
of  breath,  Christian,  give  a  blast  on  this  trumpet,  to  try 


THE   SNOW  MAN.  481 

and  bring  up  our  other  friends,  whom  we  have  been 
waiting  for  and  seeking  for  the  last  hour.  Stay,  here  is 
the  instrument." 

"We  had  better  fire  off  our  guns,"  said  Christian. 

"No,  no,  there  has  been  plenty  of  firing  already. 
Blow  the  trumpet,  I  tell  you  !  " 

Christian  did  as  he  was  requested,  but  the  corporal 
was  the  only  person  who  joined  them. 

"You  see,"  said  the  major  to  Christian,  "our  prom- 
enade must  have  the  appearance  of  a  chance  excursion, 
during  which  we  have  been  lost,  and  have  been  looking 
for  each  other." 

"  I  do  not  understand  you." 

"  It  must  be  so,  I  tell  you,  for  a  few  hours,  so  that  the 
baron  may  not  suspect  the  issue  of  the  affair  too  soon, 
and  send  against  you  the  other  rogues,  whom,  no  doubt, 
he  has  in  reserve.  As  for  him,"  he  added,  in  a  low 
voice,  "his  turn  will  come,  do  not  fear !  " 

"His  turn  has  already  come,"  replied  Christian;  "I 
will  take  charge  of  that." 

"  Softly,  softly,  my  dear  friend  !  You  have  no  authority 
to  act  in  this  matter.  That  is  my  business  ;  and  now  that 
we  have  a  certainty,  now  that  we  have  proofs,  I  am  fully 
resolved  to  take  rigorous  measures.  However,  we  can- 
not proceed  against  a  noble,  and  a  member  of  the  Diet, 
without  orders  from  higher  quarters ;  but  do  not  doubt 
that  we  will  obtain  them.  What  you  have  to  do  for  the 
moment,  my  dear  friend,  is  to  obey  me  ;  for  I  call  upon 
you  in  the  name  of  the  laws,  and  in  the  name  of  honor, 
to  lend  me  such  assistance  as  I  may  require,  according 
to  the  orders  that  I  may  give  you." 

M.  Goefle  now  ran  forward,  Avith  his  head  bare,  a 
torch  in  one  hand  and  a  sword  in  the  other.  He  had 
got  out  through  the  door  of  the  guard-room,  after  per- 
suading the  two  young  girls  —  but  not  without  difficulty, 
for  they  were  both  of  them  alike  fearless  for  themselves, 
and  solicitous  about  the  absent — to  remain  shut  up  in  the 
bear-room  under  Peterson's  protection. 

"Christian!  Christian!"  he  cried,  "is  this  the  way 
that  you  keep  your  word?" 


482  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

"I  forgot  everything,  Monsieur  Goefle,"  replied  Chris- 
tian, in  a  low  voice  ;  "it  was  too  strong  for  me.  How 
could  I  wait  there  until  they  came  to  break  down  the 
doors  and  fire  upon  the  women?  But  no  matter,  we  are 
victorious  ;  return  to  Margaret,  and  reassure  her." 

"Yes,  I  will  go  at  once,"  replied  the  lawyer,  sneezing, 
"especially  as  I  am  catching  a  frightful  cold;  I  hope," 
he  added  aloud,  "that  these  gentlemen  are  coming  to 
see  us." 

"Yes,  certainly,  that  was  the  agreement,"  replied  the 
major  ;  "but  we  must  first  attend  to  our  duties." 

M.  Goefle  went  to  reassure  the  ladies,  and  the  other 
men  proceeded  to  have  Massarelli's  corpse  removed. 
They  obliged  the  two  prisoners  to  carry  it  to  one  of  the 
cellars  of  the  gaard,  keeping  them  within  range  of  their 
pistols,  in  case  they  should  show  any  disposition  to  take 
flight.  The  prisoners  wei'e  then  firmly  bound,  and  con- 
ducted to  Stenson's  kitchen,  Avhere  the  lieutenant  and 
corporal  made  a  fire,  and  installed  themselves,  to  keep 
them  in  sight,  while  the  major  prepared  to  examine 
them  in  Christian's  presence. 

Christian  lost  all  patience  at  seeing  them  proceeding  so 
regularly  in  an  affair  •which  the  major  seemed  to  under- 
stand better  than  he  did  himself.  However,  the  major 
explained  to  him  that  with  such  an  adversaiy  as  the  baron, 
it  was  not  so  easy  as  he  thought  to  prove  even  an  obvi- 
ous and  I'ecognized  fact. 

"And  then,"  he  added,  "I  regret  to  see  that  we  are 
somewhat  deficient  in  witnesses.  .M.  Goefle  only  saw 
the  conclusion  of  the  affair.  We  find  here  neither  M. 
Stenson,  nor  his  nephew,  nor  your  servant.  I  hoped 
that  we  should  be  in  greater  force  to  defend  you,  and  to 
prove  the  facts  de  visu.  The  adjutant  and  the  four 
soldiers  whom  I  have  sent  for,  have  not  yet  appeared. 
Though  our  bostoelles  and  the  torps  of  the  soldiers  are 
very  near,  the  fog  is  so  thick  that  several  hours  may 
pass  before  we  have  eight  men  here  under  arms." 
"But  what  need  of  eight  men  to  guard  two?" 
"  Do  you  suppose,  Christian,  that  the  baron  is  going 
to  remain  quiet,  when,  for  the  first  time,  one  of  his  dia- 


THE   SNOW  MAN,  483 

bolical  combinations  has  failed?  I  do  not  know  what 
he  will  resolve  upon,  but  you  may  be  very  sure  that  he 
will  make  an  attempt  of  some.kind,  even  if  he  should  try 
to  burn  down  Stollborg.  That  is  why  I  have  resolved  to 
pass  the  night  here,  so  as  to  be  in  position,  with  the  help 
of  my  soldiers,  to  seize  the  other  bandits,  who  will  prob- 
ably arrive  before  long,  either  with  offers  of  service,  or 
otherwise.  The  greater  number  of  the  baron's  foreign  foot- 
men are  nothing  more  than  a  band  of  thieves  and  assassins, 
and  we  must  try  and  seize  them  all  in  some  flagrant  mis- 
demeanor. Then  I  can  guarantee  that  the  magistracy 
will  venture  to  pursue  rigorously  this  powerful  noble, 
and  that  he  will  be  left  without  resources,  since  his  peas- 
ants hate  him  too  much  to  offer  him  any  assistance.  If 
we  proceed  in  any  other  way,  you  may  be  sure  that  we 
should  be  the  losing  party.  The  baron  Avould  deny 
having  had  any  responsibility  in  the  matter,  or  would 
find  means  to  effect  the  escape  of  our  prisoners.  You 
would  pass  for  an  assassin,  and  we  should  pass  for  vis- 
ionaries, or  at  least  for  young  officers  without  experience, 
taking  the  part  of  a  guilty  man  and  arresting  honest 
people ;  for  you  can  rely  upon  it  that  these  two  bravos 
are  well  trained.  I  am  going  to  examine  them,  and  you 
will  see  that  they  know  how  to  tell  their  story.  I  wager 
that  they  have  learned  their  lesson,  and  know  it  by  heart." 

In  fact,  the  two  bandits  replied  impudently  that  they 
had  come  by  order  of  the  baron  to  conduct  the  man  Avith 
the  marionettes,  who  was  late  with  his  performance,  to  the 
chateau ;  that  the  latter  seeing  among  them  one  of  his 
old  comrades,  against  whom  he  had  a  grudge,  rushed  in 
pursuit  of  him,  and  killed  him.  He  had  then  insulted 
and  challenged  the  others,  and  the  one  who  had  wounded 
Christian  declared  that  he  had  done  so  by  mistake,  while 
ti'ying  to  seize  a  furious  madman.  "  So  furious,"  he 
added,  "that  he  has  broken  my  breast-bone,  and  that  I 
am  spitting  blood." 

"  You  see,"  said  Christian  to  the  major,  "  that  I  failed 
in  my  duty  towards  these  gentlemen,  in  not  allowing  my- 
self to  be  assassinated." 

"  And  you  will  see,"  replied  Larrsou, '"  that  the  assassins 


484  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

will  escape  the  gallows  !  According  to  our  laws,  capital 
punishment  can  only  be  inflicted  upon  criminals  who  con- 
fess. These  fellows  know  this  well,  and  however  absurd 
their  defence  may  be,  they  will  stick  to  it.  Your  cause, 
perhaps,  will  not  be  as  good  as  theirs.  This  makes  it 
necessary  for  us  to  be  doubly  on  our  guard,  for  do  not 
doubt,  Christian,  that  we  shall  remain  with  you,  and 
stand  by  you  through  it  all." 

"Oh,  Christian  has  a  very  good  cause!"  said  M. 
Goefle,  who  had  come  to  listen  to  the  examination,  and 
who.  now  that  it  was  concluded,  was  conducting  his  guests 
to  his  apartment,  which  he  called  his  bear-manor.  "  We 
should  have  plenty  of  weapons  against  the  baron  if  we 
could  succeed  in  freeing  old  Stenson,  who  has  been  car- 
ried, whether  he  would  or  not,  to  the  chateau.  You  must 
help  us,  gentlemen,  to  accomplish  it." 

"That  would  be  quite  out  of  my  power,  M.  Goefle," 
said  the  major.  "The  chatelain  is  judge  on  his  own 
domain,  and  consequently  in  his  own  house.  I  do  not 
know  what  M.  Steuson's  case  can  have  in  common  with 
Christian's,  but  my  advice  is  not  to  complicate  this  affair 
with  any  other.  Above  all  things,  I  should  like  to  know 
whether  Christian  has  chanced  to  find  a  gold  goblet  in 
his  ass's  pack-saddle,  which  the  baron  —  like  Joseph  of 
old,  wishing  to  try  his  brothers,  but,  I  presume,  with 
much  less  pacific  intentions  —  ordered  to  be  placed  there." 
"Upon  my  word,"  said  Christian,  "I  don't  know  any- 
thing about  it ;  let  us  go  and  see." 

They  went  to  the  stable,  where  they  found  Puffo,  pale 
and  trembling,  in  a  corner.  They  searched  him,  and 
found  the  goblet  about  him.  He  begged  for  mercy,  and 
confessed  after  his  fashion.  An  hour  before  he  had  seen 
Master  Johan,  he  said,  bring  this  precious  object  there, 
and  had  guessed  what  his  design  was.  Not  supposing 
that  he  was  watched,  he  had  resolved  to  take  it,  so  as  to 
carry  it  back  to  the  chateau  and  prevent  his  master  from 
being  accused  of  a  theft  of  which  he  was  innocent ;  but 
when  he  tried  to  go  out,  he  found  that  the  stable-door 
Avas  fastened,  and  in  spite  of  all  his  efforts  he  had  been 
unable  to  open  it ;  which  was  the  reason  that  he  had  not 


THE   SNOW  MAN.  485 

gone  to  his  master's  assistance  during  the  combat.  In 
consequence  of  these  very  suspicious  statements,  the  ma- 
jor ordered  Puffo  to  be  bound  like  the  rest,  and  conducted 
to  the  gaard,  where  Peterson,  summoned  to  lend  assist- 
ance, had  taken  the  place  of  the  officers  in  watching  the 
three  prisoners.  The  gold  goblet  was  taken  in  triumph 
by  M.  Goefle,  and  placed  upon  the  table  of  the  bear-room. 

Meanwhile,  Martina  Akerstrom  ran  to  meet  her  be- 
trothed, without  the  slightest  fear  of  what  people  would 
say,  and  without  being  the  least  embarrassed  by  the  pres- 
ence of  the  major  and  the  corporal.  The  good  and  sim- 
ple-hearted child,  who  was  making  tea  for  "those  poor 
gentlemen,  who  must  be  so  cold,"  had  now  only  two  causes 
of  anxiety :  the  uneasiness  that  her  absence  might  be 
occasioning  her  parents,  and  the  want  of  sugar  for  her  tea. 
She  requested  to  have  some  one  sent  to  the  new  chateau 
to  reassure  the  authors  of  her  being,  and  to  bring  back 
some  sugar. 

Nils,  who  had  been  waked  up  by  the  noise  around  him, 
and  who  was  very  much  delighted  at  beholding  so  much  fine 
company,  was  able  to  gratify  good  Martina  as  to  the  latter 
point,  for  the  child  had  an  excellent  reason  for  knowing 
where  the  sugar  was  to  be  found  which  Ulphilas  had 
brought  in  the  morning  ;  but  it  was  not  so  easy  to  comply 
with  her  first  request.  They  had  no  messengers,  and  the 
major,  besides,  was  anxious  to  take  down  forthwith  Mar- 
tina's deposition,  together  with  that  of  the  lieutenant,  in 
regard  to  the  conversation  between  the  bandits,  which  they 
had  overheard  two  hours  before  at  the  entrance  to  the 
tower  of  the  new  chateau.  As  this  was  the  all-important 
point  in  the  affair,  he  required  them  to  repeat  the  whole 
conversation  with  the  utmost  accuracy ;  and,  as  he  wrote 
down  their  statement,  he  expressed  his  regret  that  the 
third  witness,  Countess  Margaret,  was  not  present,  to  add 
on  her  signature. 

Margaret  was  in  the  guard-room,  where  Christian,  who 
had  hurried  on  in  advance  for  the  purpose,  had  begged 
her  to  go,  so  that  she  need  not  be  seen  by  the  young 
officers,  in  whose  eyes  there  would  not  have  been  the 
same  excuse  for  her  presence  as  for  Martina's  :  the  plaus- 


486 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


ible,  and,  in  Sweden,  sacred  excuse  of  having  come  out 
of  anxiety  for  the  safety  of  her  betrothed.  But  the 
young  countess,  who  was  standing  close  to  the  door, 
heard  that  her  assistance  was  required,  and  knowing 
well  that  she  need  have  no  fear  of  being  slandered  or 
misjudged  by  any  of  the  persons  present,  all  of  whom 
were  known  to  her,  threw  the  door  open  and  came  in. 
She  was  eager  to  swear,  as  well  as  the  others,  that  the 
accusation  of  theft  which  the  infamous  baron  had  in- 
tended to  bring  against  Christian,  was  a  conspiracy  that 
had  been  announced,  beforehand,  in  her  presence ;  and 
to  sign  her  name  to  the  statement  to  this  effect. 

On  seeing  her,  the  major  and  the  lieutenant  could  not 
repress  an  exclamation  of  surprise,  but  M.  Goefle,  with 
his  usual  presence  of  mind,  undertook  to  explain  every- 
thing. 

Mademoiselle  Akerstrom  could  not  have  come  alone, 
he  said.  She  had  no  one  to  accompany  her,  and  the 
officers  had  charged  her  so  strictly  to  keep  perfectly  silent 
as  to  the  affair,  that  she  could  not  venture  to  take  any 
other  escort  than  the  servant  of  Countess  Margaret, 
who  was  in  the  secret  as  well  as  herself.  Naturally, 
Countess  Margaret  had  wished  to  -accompany  her  friend, 
whom  Peterson  otherwise  might  have  objected  to  escort- 
ing, on  account  of  the  bad  weather.  M.  Goefle,  once 
launched,  brought  forward  a  number  of  good  reasons  of 
a  similar  character,  to  prove  how  natural  it  was  that  she 
should  have  come.  Martina,  with  her  primitive  simplic- 
ity, might,  perhaps,  have  said  that  he  did  not  understand 
what  had  really  happened,  and  so  far  was  she  from  sus- 
pecting Margaret's  predilection  for  Christian,  that  she 
would  infallibly  have  done  so,  if  she  had  not  been  ab- 
sorbed in  the  all-important  duty  of  serving  tea,  and  even 
porridge,  with  the  assistance  of  Nils ;  who,  moreover, 
had  discovered  in  the  gaard  the  dishes  intended  by  the 
absent  Ulphilas  for  his  uncle's  supper,  and  that  of  the 
guests  of  Stollborg.  The  gloomy  bear-room,  therefore, 
presented,  for  the  moment,  a  tranquil  scene,  which  formed 
a  wonderful  contrast  to  its  previous  aspect ;  one  of  those 
eternal  contrasts  which  nature  and  destiny  are  constantly 


THE   SNOW  MAN.  487 

presenting  in  every  life  :  now  agonies,  struggles,  dangers  ; 
and  the  very  next  moment,  a  home  circle,  a  repast,  con- 
versation. However,  M.  Geofle  and  Martina  were  the 
only  two  of  the  company  who  sat  down  to  their  supper. 
The  others  swallowed  a  few  mouthfuls  standing,  and  in 
great  haste,  while  impatiently  awaiting  either  for  new 
events  to  occur,  or  for  a  reinforcement  which  would  enable 
them  to  form  new  resolutions. 

It  is  certain  that  every  person  in  this  singular  gather- 
ing had  cause  for  great  anxiety.  Margaret  asked  her- 
self whether  she  would  not  be  missed  and  sought  after 
by  her  aunt,  in  consequence  of  the  necessary  change  in 
the  programme  of  the  evening's  entertainment  at  the  new 
chateau,  occasioned  by  the  absence  of  the  burattini ;  and 
whether  Mademoiselle  Potin  herself  would  not  share  her 
surprise  and  alarm,  on  learning  of  the  continued  absence 
of  Martina,  with  whom  she  had  left  her.  Martina  did 
not  take  the  anxiety  of  her  family  so  much  to  heart. 
Thoroughly  practical  and  unimaginative,  she  said  to  her- 
self that  the  chateau  was  very  large,  that  her  mother- 
trusted  her  implicitly,  and  being  herself  very  fond  of 
cards,  was  not  in  the  habit  of  looking  after  her  when  she 
went  hither  and  thither,  from  hall  to  hall,  with  her  young 
companions  ;  and  lastly,  that  the  soldiers  might  arrive 
at  any  moment,  when  she  would  be  once  more  at  liberty. 
But  when  she  thought  how  small  a  number  of  defenders 
Stollborg  had,  she  felt  for  the  moment  very  anxious  about 
her  lover,  and  thought  the  reinforcement  very  slow  in 
arriving. 

Christian,  in  his  anxiety  for  Margaret,  scarcely  thought 
about  his  own  perils.  The  major  was  uneasy  both  for 
Christian  and  for  himself.  He  continually  repeated  aside 
to  the  lieutenant  that  he  did  not  consider  the  aifair  at  all 
in  a  proper  shape  to  be  brought  before  a  court.  The  lieu- 
tenant was  troubled  because  the  major  was  so ;  and  as 
for  M.  Goefle,  he  was  greatly  alarmed  about  old  Stenson, 
and  his  apprehensions  about  him  led  him  back  to  his 
inward  cogitations  about  Christian's  birth  and  destiny. 

The  situation,  in  short,  was  not  reassuring  for  any  of 
them,  when  at  last  they  heard  a  knocking  and  ring- 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 

ing  at  the  door  of  the  court.  The  officer  and  soldiers 
they  were  waiting  for  had  perhaps  arrived,  but  there  was 
an  equal  chance  that  it  was  a  second  band  of  bravos, 
despatched  by  the  baron  to  assist  or  deliver  the  first. 
The  major  and  the  lieutenant  loaded  their  pistols,  and 
rushed  out,  ordering  Christian,  with  the  legal  authority 
with  which  they  were  clothed  by  their  position,  to  remain 
behind  them,  and  make  no  movement  until  at  their  com- 
mand. Then  Larrson,  at  the  risk  of  being  struck 
down  by  the  scoundrels  whom  he  wished  to  arrest,  res- 
olutely opened  the  door  of  the  court  himself,  and,  on  doing 
so,  recognized  with  joy  his  friend  the  adjutant,  and  the 
four  soldiers  who  lived  nearest  to  his  cantonment.  From 
that  moment  he  was  safe.  The  baron  was  of  course 
impatient  to  learn  the  issue  of  his  scheme,  and  on  receiv- 
ing no  intelligence  in  regard  to  it,  he  would  not  fail  to 
send  a  new  band  of  his  foreign  footmen  to  discover 
what  had  happened,  but  they  would  now  be  prepared  to 
receive  them. 

The  adjutant  made  his  report,  which  was  brief.  He 
had  got  lost  with  his  men,  and  had  only  discovered  Stoll- 
borg  by  accident  at  last,  after  wandering  for  a  long  time 
in  the  fog.  As  far  as  he  could  judge,  he  had  not  met  any 
one  during  the  whole  time  ;  if  this  had  happened,  it  had 
been  without  his  knowledge. 

"However,"  he  added,  "the  fog  is  beginning  to  lift 
about  the  shores  of  the  lake,  and  in  less  than  a  quarter 
of  an  hour  it  will  be  quite  possible  to  make  a  round. 
Moreover,  as  the  noise  of  the  fanfares  and  fireworks  has 
entirely  ceased  at  the  chateau,  we  can  distinguish,  now, 
the  slightest  sounds  from  Avithout." 

"  It  will  be  all  the  easier  to  make  a  round,  "  replied  the 
major,  "  since  we  have  with  us  a  man  of  the  country,  a 
certain  Peterson,  who  has  the  divining  instinct  of  the 
peasants,  and  who,  even  now,  could  lead  you  anywhere  ; 
but  wait  awhile  longer.  Stand  sentinel  at  the  two  outer 
gates,  in  profound  silence,  and  keep  well  concealed. 
Close  the  doors  of  the  pavilion  of  the  gaard.  See  that 
the  prisoners  are  well  guarded,  and  threaten  them 
with  death  if  they  speak  a  word,  but  let  this  be  merely 


THE   SNOW  MAN.  489 

a  threat.  The  one  dead  man  on  our  hands  is  one  too 
many ;  we  may  be  held  responsible  for  his  death  our- 
selves." 

XVIII. 

"I  "HE  brave  and  prudent  major  had  just  made  these 
-*•  arrangements,  when  a  shadow  passed  close  to  him 
just  as  he  was  groping  his  way  back  to  the  bear-room  to 
continue  his  examination,  for  he  had  yet  to  receive  M. 
Goefle's  opinion  —  a  most  important  one  —  about  all  that 
had  happened  in  relation  to  Christian.  This  shadow 
moved  with  an  uncertain  step,  and  the  major  resolved  to 
follow  it,  and  did  so,  until,  on  encountering  the  wall  of  the 
donjon,  it  began  to  swear  in  rather  a  mild  voice,  which 
Christian  recognized  as  that  of  Olof  Boetsoi,  the  son  of 
the  danueman. 

"  Whom  do  you  want  to  see,  my  child  ?  "  he  said,  taking 
him  by  the  arm.  "And  how  is  it  that  you  have  come 
here,  instead  of  returning  to  your  house  ?  " 

As  he  spoke,  they  all  three  entered  the  bear-room  to- 
gether. 

"  Faith,  if  you  had  not  been  there,"  said  Olof  to  Chris- 
tian, "  I  should  have  been  a  long  time  looking  for  the 
door.  I  know  the  outside  of  Stollborg  well,  I  could 
come  to  it  with  my  eyes  shut,  but  I  don't  know  anything 
about  the  inside !  I  have  never  been  here  in  my  life 
before.  You  can  suppose  that  I  could  not  return  to  the 
mountain  right  off,  in  this  cursed  weather.  At  last  it 
began  to  brighten  a  little,  and,  after  passing  two  hours  at 
the  major's  bostoelle,  I  set  out  on  foot,  lest  my  father 
should  be  uneasy ;  but,  first  of  all,  I  wanted  to  bring 
back  a  portfolio  which  you  left  in  the  sleigh,  Herr  Chris- 
tian. Here  it  is.  I  have  not  opened  it.  Whatever  was 
in  it  you  will  find  as  you  left  it.  I  did  not  wish  to 
intrust  it  to  any  one,  for  my  father  has  often  told  me  that 
papers  are  sometimes  more  precious  than  money." 

And  Olof,  in  concluding,  handed  Christian  a  portfolio 
of  black  morocco,  which  he  did  not  recognize  at  all. 


490 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


"It  is  yours,  perhaps,"  he  said  to  the* major.  "It 
may  have  been  in  the  coat  that  you  lent  me." 

"  No,  I  never  saw  it  before,"  replied  Larrson. 

"  Then  possibly  it  belongs  to  the  lieutenant?" 

"  Oh,  no  indeed !"  cried  Martina;  "he  has  no  port- 
folios, except  those  that  I  embroider  for  him." 

"  It  is  easy  to  find  out,  at  any  rate,"  said  the  major  ; 
"  he  is  close  by,  in  the  gaard." 

"Wait  a  moment !"  cried  M.  Goefle,  who  was  always 
on  the  breach  with  his  fixed  idea.  "  Did  you  not  tell 
me,  Christian,  that  you  had  upset  the  baron  this  evening, 
on  returning  from  the  hunt  ? " 

"I  told  you  that  the  baron  had  overturned  me,  and 
was  upset  himself  in  consequence,"  replied  Christian. 

"It  is  all  the  same  thing,"  rejoined  the  lawyer; 
"  whatever  was  in  the  two  sleighs  must  have  rolled  pell- 
mell  together  on  the  road  ;  and  this  —  " 

"  It  belongs  to  the  physician,  I  wager  •  "  said  Christian. 
"  Leave  it  here,  Olof ;  we  will  send  it  to  him." 

"  Give  it  to  me  !"  resumed  M.  Goefle,  in  a  brief,  au- 
thoritative tone.  "  The  only  way  of  finding  out  to  whom 
an  anonymous  portfolio  belongs,  is  to  open  it,  and  that 
shall  be  my  duty." 

"You  assume  the  responsibility,  Monsieur  Goefle?" 
said  the  scrupulous  major. 

"  Yes,  monsieur,"  replied  M.  Goefle,  opening  the  port- 
folio, "  and  I  call  upon  you  to  witness  what  I  do.  You 
are  here  to  examine  the  facts  of  a  lawsuit,  which  it  will 
perhaps  be  my  mission  to  plead.  Here  is  a  letter  from 
M.  Johan  to  his  master.  I  know  his  writing,  and  at  the 
first  glance,  I  see  in  it :  '  The  man  with  the  marionettes  — 
Guido  Massarelli — The  chamber  of  roses  !'  —  Ah,  in- 
deed !  the  baron,  like  the  senate,  assumes  the  privilege 
of  having  his  own  !  Major,  this  document  is  very  impor- 
tant, and  the  other,  perhaps  —  for  there  are  two  —  is  still 
more  so.  Your  commission  requires  you  to  acquaint 
yourself  with  them." 

"  May  I  go?"  said  the  young  danneman,  who,  like  the 
peasants  of  all  countries,  was  terribly  afraid  of  the  law, 
and  who  accordingly,  as  soon  as  he  began  vaguely  to 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


491 


understand  that  the  examination  for  a  suit  was  going  on, 
wanted  to  make  his  escape,  lest  he  should  be  involved  in 
it  by  having  to  give  his  testimony. 

"  No,"  replied  the  major,  "  you  must  remain  and 
listen." 

He  turned  to  Margaret  and  Martina,  who  were  whis- 
pering together  about  the  possibility  of  returning  to  the 
new  chateau,  and  laid  the  same  injunction  upon  them. 

UI  beg  and  require  you,"  he  said,  "to  remain  also, 
and  listen.  Our  opponent  is  very  powerful,  and  we  may 
be  accused  of  having  forged  false  proofs.  In  this  case 
documents  have  been  placed  in  our  hands  in  your  pres- 
ence, and  you  must  learn  their  contents  at  the  same  time 
with  ourselves." 

"  No  no  ! "  cried  Christian  ;  "  these  ladies  must  not  be 
mixed  up  in  a  lawsuit." 

"  I  am  grieved  that  it  must  be  so,  Christian,"  replied 
the  major ;  "  but  the  laws  are  stronger  than  we,  and  I 
shall  do  what  they  require  me  to  do,  rigorously.  A  man 
has  been  killed  this  evening  whom  it  would  certainly  be 
more  to  our  advantage  to  hold  alive.  I  know  that  you 
had  nothing  to  do  with  this,  and  that  you  yourself  were 
wounded  in  the  scuffle  in  which  he  perished.  You  are 
passionate — you  are  brave  and  generous  —  but  you  are 
not  prudent  in  what  concerns  yourself.  As  for  me,  I 
tell  you  that  this  affair  may  lead  you  to  the  scaffold, 
because  you  acknowledge  honestly  having  given  prov- 
ocation to  your  enemies,  while  the  rogues  deny  insolently 
their  part  in  the  transaction.  Let  us  read,  then,  and  neg- 
lect no  means  of  making  the  truth  triumph." 

"  Yes,  yes,  major,  read,  I  am  listening  !  "  cried  Mar- 
garet, who  had  turned  pale  as  she  looked  at  Christian's 
bloody  sleeve  ;  "  I  will  testify,  no  matter  at  what  cost !  " 

Christian  would  have  refused  to  take  advantage  of  the 
devotion  of  this  noble  girl,  and  he  could  ill  endure  the 
authority  which  the  major  assumed  over  her.  The  ma- 
jor, however,  was  right,  and  Christian  felt  this,  since  in 
this  affair  the  honor  of  the  officer  was  at  stake  no  less 
than  his  own.  He  seated  himself  brusquely,  and  covered 
his  face  with  his  hands  to  conceal  and  repress  the  vehe- 


492 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


ment  emotions  by  which  he  was  agitated,  while  the  ma- 
jor read  in  a  loud  voice  the  journal  of  Master  Johan, 
written  by  himself,  and  sent  to  the  baron  during  the  hunt. 

"  This  seems  to  me  a  very  mysterious  document,"  he 
said,  on  concluding  it ;  "it  proves  a  deep-laid  plot 
against  Christian,  but — " 

"  But  you  cannot  understand,"  said  M.  Goefle,  who, 
while  the  major  was  reading,  had  rapidly  glanced  through 
the  second  paper  contained  in  the  portfolio,  "  such  hatred 
against  an  unknown,  without  name,  without  family,  and 
without  fortune,  on  the  part  of  the  high  and  mighty  seig- 
neur the  Baron  de  Waldemora.  Well,  for  my  part,  I 
understand  it  perfectly,  and,  since  we  see  the  effect,  it  is 
time  to  know  the  cause  ;  here  it  is  —  Lift  up  your  head, 
Christian  de  Waldemora  !"  added  M.  Goefle,  striking  the 
table  with  energy ;  "for  Heaven  has  led  you  here,  and 
old  Stenson  was  right  in  saying,  '  The  wealth  of  the  sin- 
ner is  laid  up  for  the  just.' " 

During  the  silence  that  followed  —  for  all  were  struck 
dumb  with  amazement — M.  Goefle  read  aloud  what  fol- 
lows : 

"  Declaration  intrusted  by  me,  Adam  Stenson,  to  Taddeo 
Manasses,  Merchant,  born  in  Perugia :  To  be  deliv- 
ered up  to  Christian  on  the  day  when  the  circumstances 
herein  mentioned  shall  permit  : 

"ADELSTAN  CHRISTIAN  DE  WALDEMORA,  son  of  the 
noble  Seigneur  Christian  Adelstau,  Baron  de  Waldemora, 
and  the  noble  ladyJEIilda  de  Blixen,  born  the  fifteenth  of 
September,  1746,  in  the  castle  of  Stollborg,  in  the  cham- 
ber called  that  of  the  bear,  on  the  domain  of  Waldemora, 
province  of  Dalecarlia ; 

"  Secretly  confided  to  the  care  of  Anna  Bcetsoi,  wife 
of  the  danneman  Karl  Boetsoi,  by  me,  the  undersigned, 
Adam  Stenson,  and  by  Karine  Boetsoi,  daughter  of  the 
above-named,  and  confidential  waiting  woman  of  the  de- 
ceased Baroness  Hilda  de  Waldemora,  nee  de  Blixeu  ; 

"  The  said  infant  suckled  by  a  tame  doe,  and  brought 
up  in  the  house  of  the  said  danneman  Karl  Bretsoi,  on 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


493 


the  mountain  of  Blaakdal,  until  the  age  of  four  years, 
where  he  passed  for  the  son  of  Karine  Boetsoi,  who,  out 
of  devotion  for  her  deceased  mistress,  consented  to  be 
thought  bewitched,  aud  in  communication  with  evil 
spirits,  and  who  thus  preserved  the  child,  of  whom  she 
called  herself  the  mother,  from  the  pursuit  of  his  enemies; 

"The  said  child,  carried  away  by  me,  Adam  Stenson, 
to  withdraw  it  from  suspicions,  by  which  his  safety  was 
beginning  to  be  compromised,  in  spite  of  the  precautions 
hitherto  taken, 

"  Was  taken  by  me,  the  undersigned,  to  Austria,  where 
I  have  a  married  sister,  who  can  testify  to  having  seen 
me  arrive  at  her  house  with  a  child  named  Christian, 
speaking  the  Dalecarlian  language  ; 

"And,  by  the  advice  of  my  very  faithful  friend  and 
confidant,  Taddeo  Manasses,  of  the  religion  of  the 
Old  Testament,  and  formerly  well  known  in  Sweden, 
under  the  name  of  Manasses,  and  very  highly  esteemed 
by  his  lordship  the  late  Baron  Adelstan  de  Waldemora, 
as  a  man  of  his  word,  and  of  discretion  and  honesty  in 
his  business,  the  trading  in  objects  of  art,  of  which  the 
said  baron  was  a  great  amateur ; 

"I,  the  undersigned,  went  to  the  city  of  Perugia,  in 
Italy,  where  then  resided  the  above-mentioned  Ma- 
nasses, and  where,  during  the  carnival,  I  presented  myself, 
being  masked,  to  the  very  honorable  couple,  Silvio  Gof- 
fredi,  Professor  of  Ancient  History  in  the  University  of 
Perugia,  and  Sophia  Negrisoli,  his  legitimate  wife,  of  the 
family  of  the  illustrious  physician  of  that  name  ; 

"  And  to  them  surrendered,  confided,  and,  as  it  might  be 
said,  gave  the  said  Christian  de  Waldemora,  without 
making  known  to  them  his  family  name,  his  country,  or 
the  special  reasons  which  had  made  me  resolve  to  sep- 
arate from  him ; 

"  In  giving  this  well-beloved  child  to  the  above-men- 
tioned Goffredis,  I  believed  that  I  was  fulfilling  the  wish 
of  the  deceased  Baroness  Hilda,  who  desired  that  he  should 
be  brought  up  far  from  his  enemies,  by  learned  aud  vir- 
tuous people,  who,  without  any  selfish  motive,  would  love 
him  like  their  own  son,  and  make  him  what  he  should  be, 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 

in  order  to  sustain  worthily,  some  day,  the  name  he  is  to 
bear,  and  the  rank  he  is  to  recover,  after  the  death  of 
his  enemies,  the  which  death,  according  to  the  order  of 
natui'e,  ought  greatly  to  precede  his  own  ; 

"And,  in  case  the  death  of  the  undersigned  should  oc- 
cur before  that  of  the  said  enemies,  the  undersigned  has 
charged  Taddeo  Manasses  to  make  such  inquiries  as 
may  be  necessary,  so  that,  at  the  death  of  his  enemies, 
Christian  de  Waldemora  should  be  warned,  and  put  into 
possession  of  the  present  declaration  :  in  faith  of  which 
—  after  having  made  a  contract  with  my  good  friend 
Taddeo  Manasses,  who  is  never  to  lose  sight  of  the  said 
Christian  de  Waldemora,  who  is  to  reside  where  he  shall 
reside,  and  to  come  to  his  assistance  if  other  protection 
shall  fail  him  ;  who,  in  case  of  serious  illness,  threatening 
him  with  death,  is  to  put  another  person  sure  as  himself 
in  his  place,  to  fulfil  the  same  duties  ;  and  finally,  who  is 
to  give  once  a  year  news  of  his  welfare  to  the  under- 
signed—  the  undersigned,  wishing  to  keep  his  place  in 
the  chateau  de  Waldemora,  so  as  not  to  arouse  sus- 
picions, and  to  earn  money  to  provide  against  coming 
emergencies,  the  probable  removals,  and  journeys  of 
Taddeo,  and  the  eventual  needs  of  the  said  child,  quitted, 
not  without  grief,  the  city  of  Perugia,  to  return  to  Swe- 
den, the  sixteenth  of  March,  1750,  believing  and  hoping 
to  have  done  what  was  best  to  preserve  from  all  danger, 
and  to  place  in  a  happy  and  honorable  situation,  the  son 
of  his  deceased  master  and  mistress. 

"ADAM  STENSON. 
"  Witness  : 

"TADDEO  MANASSES, 
"  Sworn  keeper  of  the  paintings  in  the  Exchange,  at  Perugia." 

"  Speak,  Christian  ! "  said  M.  Goefle  to  his  young  friend, 
who  remained  silent  and  stupefied.  "  Everything  must 
be  verified.  Was  this  Manasses  really  an  honest  man?" 

"  I  have  no  reason  to  doubt  it,"  replied  Christian. 

"Did  he  not  offer  you  assistance,  at  one  time,  on  the 
part  of  your  family?" 

"Yes;  I  refused  it." 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


495 


"Do  you  know  his  signature?" 

"Perfectly.  He  had  several  business  transactions  with 
M.  Goffredi." 

"Look  at  this  :  is  it  his  writing?" 

"It  is  his  writing." 

"For  my  part,"  said  M.  Goefle,  "I  recognize  perfectly, 
iu  the  body  of  the  document,  the  hand  and  style  of  Adam 
Stenson.  Will  you  be  so  good  as  to  open  this  portfolio, 
major,  and  verify  the  similitude?  These  are  the  ac- 
counts of  his  affairs,  prepared  and  signed  by  the  old  stew- 
ard at  nearly  the  same  period  ;  that  is  to  say,  in  1751  and 
1752.  Besides,  his  writing  has  not  changed,  and  his  hand 
is  still  firm.  Here  is  the  proof  of  it :  these  three  verses 
of  the  Bible  written  yesterday,  and  whose  application,  as 
interpreted  by  him,  is  quite  evident,  and  will  be  useful  in 
evidence." 

The  major  made  the  verification,  but  the  whole  affair, 
if  not  utterly  enigmatical,  still  seemed  to  him  very  ob- 
scure. Had  the  baron  forged  false  documents  to  estab- 
lish that  his  sister-in-law  had  left  no  heirs  to  contest  his 
rights?  He  was  quite  capable  of  this,  but  M.  Goefle 
had  seen  these  documents.  They  were  actually  in  his 
possession,  having  been  confided  to  him  by  his  father, 
whom  he  had  succeeded. 

"  I  have  these  documents  at  my  house  in  Gevala,  in 
fact,"  replied  M.  Goefle.  "  They  have  been  verified  by 
experts,  and  are  authentic ;  but  has  it  not  been  fully 
proved,  at  present,  that  they  were  extorted  from  the 
Baroness  Hilda  by  constraint  or  fear?  Be  calm,  Chris- 
tian, all  will  be  explained.  Stay,  major,  here  is  another 
piece  of  evidence,  discovered  yesterday,  in  a  dress,  which 
I  will  show  you ;  a  letter  from  Baron  Adelstan  to  his 
wife :  read  it,  and  calculate  the  dates.  The  hope  of 
maternity  was  confirmed  on  the  fifth  of  March,  perhaps 
after  two  or  three  months  of  uncertainty.  The  child 
was  born  on  the  fifteenth  of  September ;  the  baroness 
took  refuge  here  during  the  first  few  days  of  the  said 
month.  She  was  probably  kept  a  prisoner  here,  and  she 
died  on  the  twenty-eighth  of  December,  of  the  same 
year.  Here  is  another  proof:  look  at  this  miniature! 


496  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

Look  at  it,  Margaret  Elveda !  It  is  Count  Adelstan, 
who  certainly  did  not  have  it  painted  for  the  emergencies 
of  a  suit ;  the  painter  is  celebrated,  and  he  has  dated  and 
signed  his  work.  And  yet  it  is  the  portrait  of  Christian 
Waldo !  The  resemblance  is  striking.  Lastly,  look  at 
this  life-size  portrait  of  the  count.  The  resemblance  is 
quite  as  remai'kable.  This  is  not  the  v/ork  of  such  a 
skilful  artist,  but  he  has  rendered  the  hands  faithfully, 
and  you  can  see  the  bent  fingers  :  show  yours,  Chris- 
tian !  " 

"Ah!"  cried  Christian,  who  was  walking  up  aw 
down  the  room  in  a  state  of  extreme  excitement,  and 
who  allowed  M.  Goefle  to  seize  his  trembling  hands,  "  if 
Baron  Olaus  has  made  my  mother  suffer  martyrdom,  woe 
to  him  !  These  hooked  fingers  shall  tear  his  heart  from 
his  breast." 

"Let  him  give  vent  to  his  Italian  passion,"  said  M. 
Goefle,  who  had  risen,  fearing  that  Christian  was  going 
to  rush  out.  "  He  is  a  generous  nature  ;  I  know  him — I 
know  his  whole  life.  He  must  give  voice  to  his  grief 
and  his  indignation  ;  do  not  you  understand?  But  have 
patience,  Christian  !  the  baron,  perhaps,  has  not  been  so 
criminal  in  the  past  as  we  suppose.  We  must  learn  all  the 
particulars  —  we  must  see  Stenson  again.  It  is  absolutely 
necessary,  major,  that  Stenson  should  be  delivered  and 
brought  back  here,  and  yet  you  will  not  consent  to  do  it." 

"  You  know  perfectly  well  that  I  cannot !  "  cried  the 
major,  very  much  agitated  aui  excited.  "  I  have  no  rights 
over  the  authority  of  the  seigneur,  above  all  in  the  punish- 
ment of  a  domestic,  and  if  the  barou  wants  to  make  this 
old  man  suffer,  he  will  not  want  for  pretexts  — " 

Here  the  major  was  interrupted  by  Christian,  who 
could  no  longer  restrain  his  impetuosity. 

"  What !  "  he  cried,  "  do  you  not  see  that  they  shrink 
from  nothing  in  that  den  ?  I  understand,  too  well,  what 
they  mean  by  their  chamber  of  roses,  as  they  call  it  in 
bitter  and  horrible  mockery.  And  that  poor  old  man, 
who  has  nothing  left  but  his  breath,  that  faithful  servant, 
who  saved  me  from  my  enemies,  as  he  says  in  his  declar- 
ation, and  who,  after  that  long  and  fatiguing  journey, 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


497 


has  devoted  to  me  a  whole  life  of  privation  and  labor  si- 
lently endured,  shall  I  leave  him  now  to  perish  for  me, 
at  this  very  hour,  in  torments  ?  No,  it  is  impossible  ;  you 
shall  not  hold  me  back,  major !  I  do  not  recognize  your 
authority  over  me,  and,  even  if  I  must  cut  my  way  out 
from  here,  sword  in  hand  —  well,  so  much  the  worse,  you 
would  have  it  so." 

"  Silence  ! "  cried  M.  Goefle,  snatching  from  Christian's 
hands  the  sword  which  the  young  man  had  just  seized 
from  the  table.  "  Silence  !  Listen  !  some  one  is  walking 
ov«r  our  heads  in  the  walled-up  room." 

"  How  can  that  be  possible,"  said  the  major,  "  if  it  is 
really  walled  up?  Besides,  I  do  not  hear  anything." 

"  Nor  do  I  hear  any  footsteps,"  replied  M.  Goefle, 
"but  be  quiet,  and  look  at  the  chandelier." 

They  looked  without  speaking,  and  not  only  did  they  see 
the  chandelier  tremble,  but  heard  also  the  faint  jingling 
of  the  brass  ornaments  striking  together,  as  they  were 
shaken  by  some  movement  in  the  upper  story. 

"  It  must  be  Stenson  ! "  cried  Christian.  "No  one  else 
can  know  the  outside  passages." 

"But  are  there  any?"  said  the  major. 

"  Who  knows?"  replied  Christian.  "  For  my  part,  I 
think  so,  though  I  was  not  able  to  satisfy  myself  fully.  I 
noticed  a  breach  in  the  wall  as  high  as  to  the  second  story, 
but  that  did  not  seem  to  me  practicable.  But  hush  !  — 
do  you  hear  anything  more  ?  " 

They  listened,  and  heard,  or  thought  they  heard,  a  door 
open,  and  then  followed  a  faint  knocking  or  scratching  on 
the  walled-up  door  of  the  bear-room.  Had  Stensou  es- 
caped from  the  hands  of  his  enemies,  and  not  daring  to 
return  to  the  gaard  by  the  court,  Avhich  he  would  suppose 
to  be  in  their  hands,  had  he  entered  the  donjon  by  a  pas- 
sage known  to  himself  alone  ?  Was  he  calling  his  friends 
to  his  assistance,  or  giving  them  a  mysterious  warning, 
that  they  might  expect  a  new  attack?  The  major  consid- 
ered these  conjectures  chimerical ;  but,  before  they  could 
make  any  investigations,  they  were  interrupted  by  the 
lieutenant,  who  entered  with  Danneman  Boctsoi. 

"  Here  is  one  of  our  friends,"  he  said,  "  who  has  come 


498  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

from  our  bostoelles,  where  he  has  been  looking  for  his 
son.  Is  he  not  here?" 

"  Yes,  yes,  my  father ! "  replied  Olof,  who  was  very 
much  alarmed  at  all  that  he  had  heard,  and  was  quite 
pleased  to  see  the  danneman  arrive.  "  Were  you  uneasy 
about  me  ?  " 

"  Uneasy,  no ! "  replied  the  danneman,  who  had  just 
descended  a  dangerous  mountain-road  in  this  frightful 
weather  to  look  for  his  child,  but  who  considered  it  derog- 
atory to  his  paternal  dignity  to  acknowledge  his  solicitude. 
"  I  knew  that  our  friends  would  not  let  you  start  alone  ; 
but,  because  of  the  horse,  which  might  have  been  lamed  — " 

While  the  danneman  was  explaining  his  anxiety  after 
this  fashion,  the  lieutenant  made  a  communication  to  the 
major,  by  which  the  latter  seemed  very  much  struck. 

"  What  is  the  matter?"  asked  M.  Goefle. 

"The  matter  is,"  replied  Larrson,  "  that  we  have,  one 
and  all  of  us,  given  ourselves  up  to  gloomy  ideas  that  are 
making  us  very  ridiculous.  The  lieutenant,  while  making 
his  round,  heard  what  seemed  to  be  the  lamentation  of  a 
human  voice  sweeping  through  the  air,  and  the  soldiers 
are  so  frightened  at  all  that  they  have  heard  of  the  Gray 
Lady  of  Stollborg,  that,  but  for  their  excellent  discipline, 
they  would  already  have  decamped.  It  is  time  to  have 
done  with  these  dreams,  and  since  there  is  no  way  of  pen- 
etrating into  this  walled-up  room  from  within,  we  must 
examine  the  outside  of  the  building  carefully,  and  see 
whether  the  brigands  of  the  new  chateau  are  not  making 
use  of  this  phantasmagoria  at  this  very  moment,  to  entrap 
us  in  some  way.  Come  with  us,  Christian,  since  you  are 
convinced,  you  say,  that  there  must  be  some  means  of 
climbing  up  there." 

"  No  no  ! "  replied  Christian  ;  "  it  would  take  too  long  to 
look,  and  perhaps  we  should  not  find  a  practicable  ascent 
after  all.  It  will  be  surer  and  quicker  to  break  down 
this  Avail.  It  is  only  to  knock  out  the  first  brick." 

Even  while  talking,  Christian  had  torn  the  great  map 
of  Sweden  from  its  rings,  and,  armed  with  the  hammer 
that  he  used  in  his  scientific  excursions^  he  attacked  the 
partition  under  it  with  desperate  vigor,  sometimes  strik- 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


499 


ing  the  resounding  brick  surface  with  the  square  end 
of  the  instrument,  and  sometimes  thrusting  the  sharp 
edge  into  the  holes  he  had  succeeded  in  making,  pulling 
down  violently  great  masses  of  the  wall,  welded  together 
with  mortar,  and  which  fell  with  a  hollow  sound  upon  the 
sonorous  staircase.  It  would  have  been  useless  to  oppose 
him.  He  was  possessed,  driven  on  by  a  sort  of  fury,  that 
compelled  him  to  escape  from  the  inactivity  to  which 
he  had  been  condemned.  The  strange  suspicions  he 
had  already  conceived  that  some  person  was  imprisoned 
in  this  ruin,  returned  to  him  like  a  nightmare.  He  was 
under  such  excitement  that  he  was  even  ready  to  admit 
the  truth  of  the  superstitious  ideas  to  which  M.  Goefle 
had  yielded  belief  in  this  very  place,  and  to  suppose  that 
he  had  been  summoned  by  a  supernatural  warning  to 
discover  the  infernal  secret  which  had  enveloped  his 
mother's  dying  moments  with  gloom  and  mystery. 

"Stand  out  of  the  way!  stand  out  of  the  way!"  he 
cried  to  M.  Goefle,  who,  impelled  by  a  similar  anxiety, 
mingled  with  curiosity,  was  hurrying  up  every  instant  to 
thfe  foot  of  the  staircase  ;  "  if  the  wall  should  crumble 
and  fall  suddenly,  I  could  not  prevent  it." 

In  fact,  the  superadded  partition,  which  extended  over 
quite  a  large  surface,  was  completely  undermined  by 
Christian's  furious  onslaught ;  it  was  giving  way,  totter- 
ing, falling  in  every  direction.  The  intrepid  assailant 
was  covered  with  dust,  and  seemed  protected  only  by  a 
miracle  in  the  midst  of  a  rain  of  bricks  and  cement. 
His  friends  dared  not  speak  any  longer ;  they  scarcely 
dared  to  breathe ;  every  instant  they  thought  to  see  him 
buried  under  the  falling  fragments,  or  struck  by  some 
flying  brick.  A  cloud  enveloped  him,  when  he  cried  : 

"Victory!  here  is  the  continuation  of  the  staircase. 
Bring  a  light,  Monsieur  Goefle  !  — " 

And,  without  waiting,  he  rushed  into  the  darkness. 
But  in  the  few  seconds  that  elapsed,  while  he  was  grop- 
ing for  the  door,  which  he  found  half-open  before  him, 
the  major  had  time  to  join  him. 

"  Christian,"  he  said,  holding  him  back,  "  if  you  have 
any  friendship  for  me,  any  deference  for  my  rank,  you 


500  THE  SNO  W  MAN. 

will  let  me  go  first.  M.  Goefle  believes  that  we  shall 
find  here  decisive  proofs  of  your  rights,  and  you  cannot 
testify  in  your  own  cause.  Besides,  beware !  These 
proofs  may  be  of  a  character  to  make  you  shrink  back 
with  horror." 

"  I  will  support  the  sight  of  them,"  replied  Christian, 
made  desperate  by  this  thought,  which  was  already  his 
own.  "  I  wish  to  know  the  truth,  even  if  it  should  crush 
me.  Go  first,  Osmund,  it  is  your  right ;  but  I  follow  you  ; 
it  is  my  duty." 

"  No  I  "  cried  M.  Goefle,  who,  together  with  the  dan- 
neman  and  the  lieutenant,  had  rapidly  ascended  the  stair- 
case behind  the  major,  and  who  threw  himself  resolutely 
before  the  door.  "  You  shall  not  pass,  Christian  !  You 
shall  not  enter  without  my  permission.  You  are  violent, 
but  I  am  obstinate.  Will  you  lay  your  hand  upon  me  ?  " 

Christian  drew  back,  vanquished.  The  major  entered 
with  M.  Goefle ;  the  lieutenant  and  the  danneman  re- 
mained on  the  threshold,  between  them  and  Christian. 

The  major  took  a  few  steps  into  this  mysterious  cham- 
ber, which  was  scarcely  lighted  at  all  by  the  glimmering 
of  the  candle  brought  by  M.  Goefle.  It  was  a  large 
room,  finished  with  heavy  wood-work,  like  the  bear-room, 
but  entirely  empty,  dilapidated,  and  a  hundred  times  more 
lugubrious  than  that  apartment.  Suddenly  the  major  drew 
back  and  lowered  his  voice,  so  as  not  to  be  heard  by  Chris- 
tian, who  was  standing  so  near  the  entrance. 

"  Look  !  "  he  said  to  M.  Goefle  ;  "  look  there,  on  the 
floor !  " 

"  It  is  true,  then,"  replied  M.  Goefle,  in  the  same  tone  ; 
"  this,  indeed,  is  horrible  !  Go  on,  major  !  courage  !  We 
must  know  all." 

They  approached  a  human  form,  which  was  lying  at 
the  end  of  the  room,  the  body  bent  forward  and  appar- 
ently kneeling,  the  head  leaning  against  the  wainscot,  as 
far  as  they  could  judge  ;  for  it  was  almost  entirely  con- 
cealed by  the  black  and  dusty  veil  with  which  the  whole 
form  was  enveloped. 

"It  is  she !  it  is  the  phantom  I  beheld ! "  said  M. 
Goefle,  recognizing  under  this  veil  the  gray  robe,  with 


THE   SNOW  MAN.  501 

its  soiled  and  trailing  ribbons.  "  It  is  the  Baroness 
Hilda,  dead,  or  a  prisoner." 

"  It  is  a  living  person,"  said  the  major,  as  he  raised 
the  veil  with  a  hand  trembling  with  emotion  ;  "  but  it  is 
not  the  Baroness  Hilda.  This  is  a  woman  whom  I  know. 
Come  here,  Joe  Boetsoi !  Come  in,  Christian.  There  is 
nothing  here  that  you  need  fear  to  behold.  It  is  only  poor 
Karine,  swooning  or  asleep." 

"  No,  no,"  said  the  danneman,  approaching  his  sister 
softly  ;  "  she  is  not  asleep,  she  is  not  fainting ;  she  is  say- 
ing her  prayers,  and  her  soul  is  in  heaven.  Do  not  touch 
her,  do  not  speak  to  her  until  she  rises." 

"  But  how  did  she  get  here?  "  said  M.  Goefle. 

"  Oh,  as  to  that,"  replied  the  danneman,  "  it  is  a  gift 
she  has  to  go  wherever  she  wishes,  and  to  enter,  like  the 
bird  of  the  night,  through  the  cracks  of  old  walls.  She 
goes,  without  a  thought,  into  places  where  I  have  some- 
times followed  her,  recommending  my  soul  to  God.  For 
that  reason,  I  am  never  uneasy  when  she  disappears  from 
the  house  ;  I  know  that  there  is  a  virtue  in  her,  and  that 
she  cannot  fall.  But  see,  she  has  finished  praying  within 
herself !  she  rises ;  she  is  going  towards  the  door.  She 
takes  her  keys  from  her  belt.  Those  are  keys  which 
she  has  always  kept  like  relics,  and  we  did  not  know 
where  they  came  from  —  " 

"Watch  her,"  said  M.  Goefle,  "since  she  does  not 
seem  either  to  see  or  hear  us.  What  is  she  doing  now?" 

"Oh,"  said  the  danneman,  "that  is  a  habit  that  she 
has,  of  trying  to  find  a  door  when  she  comes  up  to  cer- 
tain walls.  See,  she  rests  the  key  upon  it,  and  turns  it, 
then  she  sees  that  she  is  mistaken,  and  goes  further  on." 

"Ah,"  said  M.  Goefle,  "that  accounts  for  the  little 
circles  traced  on  the  wall  in  the  bear-room." 

"•Can  I  speak  to  her?"  said  Christian,  who  had  ap- 
proached Karine. 

"You  can,"  replied  the  dauneman  ;  "she  will  answer 
you,  if  your  voice  pleases  her." 

"Kariue  Bcetsoi,"  said  Christian,  "what  are  you 
looking  for  here  ?  " 

"Do  not  call  me  Karine  Boetsoi,"  she  replied  ;  "  Ka- 


502  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

rine  is  dead.  I  am  the  vala  of  ancient  days,  —  she  who 
must  not  be  named  ! " 

"Where  do  you  wish  to  go?" 

"To  the  bear-room.  Have  they  walled  up  the  door 
already  ?  " 

"No,"  said  Christian,  "I  will  lead  you  there.  Will 
you  give  me  your  hand  ?  " 

"Go  on,"  said  Karine,  "I  will  follow  you." 

"Do  you  see  me,  then?" 

"What  should  prevent  me  from  seeing  you?  Are  we 
not  in  the  land  of  the  dead  ?  Are  not  you  poor  Baron 
Adelstan?  You  have  come  to  ask  me  for  the  mother  of 
your  child.  I  have  just  been  praying  for  her  and  for 
him.  And  now — come,  come,  I  will  tell  you  all!" 

And  Karine,  who  seemed  suddenly  to  recognize  where 
she  was,  passed  through  the  door,  and  went  down  the 
staircase  into  the  bear-room,  where  Margaret  and  Mar- 
tina were  terribly  frightened  by  her  appearance,  although 
young  Olof,  who  had  gone  up  to  the  door,  and  heard  all 
that  was  going  on,  had  assured  them  that  they  had  noth- 
ing to  fear  from  the  poor  seeress. 

"Do  not  be  afraid  of  her,"  said  Christian,  who  was 
following  Karine  a  little  in  advance  of  the  two  officers, 
M.  Goefle,  and  the  danneman,  ami  who  paused,  when  she 
did,  near  the  young  ladies  :  "  watch  all  her  movements  ; 
and  try,  as  I  am  doing,  to  guess  what  she  is  dreaming 
about.  Does  she  not  seem  to  be  rendering  the  last 
duties  to  a  person  who  has  just  died?  " 

"Yes,"  replied  Margaret,  "she  closes  their  eyes,  she 
kisses  their  hands,  and  crosses  them  upon  their  breast. 
And  now  she  weaves  an  imaginary  crown,  and  places  it 
upon  their  head.  Stay,  she  is  looking  for  some  one  —  " 

"Are  you  looking  for  me,  Karine?"  said 'Christian  to 
the  seeress. 

"Are  you  Adelstan,  the  good  iarl?"  replied  Karine. 
"  Ah  well,  listen,  and  behold :  you  see  that  your  well  be- 
loved has  ceased  to  suffer !  She  has  gone  to  the  land  of 
the  elf's.  The  wicked,  iarl  said  :  '  She  shall  die  here,'  and 
she  is  dead  ;  but  he  said  also  :  '  If  a  son  is  born  to  her,  it 
shall  die  first.'  But  he  counted  without  Karine.  Karine 


THE  SNOW  MAN,  503 

was  there ;  she  received  the  child,  she  saved  it,  she  gave 
it  to  the  fairies  of  the  lake,  and  the  Snow  Man  never 
knew  that  it  was  born.  And  Karine  has  never  told  her 
secret,  even  in  fever  and  in  grief!  She  speaks  now,  be- 
cause the  belfry  of  the  chateau  is  ringing  for  the  dead. 
Do  you  not  hear  it?" 

"Can  it  be  true?"  cried  the  major,  opening  the  win- 
dow in  all  haste  :  "no,  I  do  not  hear  anything.  She  is 
dreaming." 

"If  it  is  not  ringing,  it  will  not  delay  long,"  replied 
the  danneman.  "  Already,  this  morning,  she  heard  it, 
from  our  mountain.  We  knew  that  it  could  not  be  ;  but 
we  knew  also  that  she  hears  in  advance,  as  she  sees  in 
advance,  the  things  that  are  to  be." 

Karine,  feeling  the  air  from  the  window,  approached. 

"It  was  here,"  she  said,  "it  was  to  this  window  that 
Karine  Bcetsoi  brought  the  child,  so  that  it  should  fly 
away." 

And  she  began  to  sing  the  refrain  of  the  ballad  that 
Christian  had  heard  iu  the  fog. 

"  The  child  of  the  lake,  more  beautiful  than  the  star 
of  the  evening  —  " 

"  Is  that  a  song  that  your  mistress  taught  you?"  asked 
M.  Goefle. 

But  Karine  did  not  seem  to  hear  any  voice  but  Chris- 
tian's. 

Martina  Akerstrom  replied  for  her  : 

"Yes,  yes,"  she  said,  "I  know  that  ballad  perfectly 
well:  it  was  composed  by  the  Baroness  Hilda.  My 
father  found  it  among  the  papers  that  were  seized  at 
Stollborg,  and  left  at  our  house  by  his  predecessor.  There 
were  also  several  Scandinavian  poems,  which  the  poor 
lady  had  translated  into  verse  and  set  to  music,  for  she 
was  a  very  skilful  musician ;  a  real  artist,  indeed. 
That  was  one  of  the  things  they  brought  against  her  to 
prove  that  she  worshipped  pagan  gods.  My  father 
blamed  the  former  minister  very  much  for  his  conduct, 
and  he  has  carefully  preserved  these  precious  man- 
uscripts." 

"Now,   Karine,"  said  M.  Goefle  to  the  seeress,  who 


5°4 


THE   SNO  W  MAN. 


had  fallen  into  a  sort  of  quiet  ecstasy,  "have  you  noth- 
ing more  to  say  ?  " 

"  Leave  me,"  answered  Karine,  who  had  entered 
into  another  phase  of  her  trance  ;  "  leave  me  !  I  must  go 
to  the  hogar,  to  meet  him  who  is  to  return." 

a  Who  told  you  so?"  inquired  Christian. 

"The  stork  who  perches  on  the  roof-top,  and  who 
bears  to  mothers,  seated  under  the  chimney-corner,  news 
of  their  absent  sons.  That  is  why  I  put  on  the  dress 
that  my  well-beloved  gave  me,  so  that  he  might  at  least 
see  something  of  his  mother.  For  three  days  I  have 
been  waiting  for  him,  I  have  been  singing  to  him  to 
draw  him  hither  ;  but  at  last  he  has  come,  —  I  feel  him 
near  me.  Bring  bluebells,  bring  violets,  and  call  old 
Stenson,  so  that  he  may  rejoice  before  he  dies.  Poor 
Stenson  !  " 

"Why  do  you  say  poor  Stenson?"  cried  Christian, 
terrified.  "  Do  you  see  him  in  your  vision?" 

"  Leave  me,"  replied  Karine  ;  "  I  have  said, —  now  the 
vala  sinks  again  into  the  night." 

Karine  closed  her  eyes  and  tottered. 

"That  means  that  she  wishes  to  sleep  now,"  said  the 
danneman,  receiving  her  in  his  arms.  "  I  will  seat  her 
here,  for  she  must  sleep  wherever  she  may  be." 

"No,  no,"  said  Margaret,  "we  will  lead  her  into  the 
other  room,  where  there  is  a  large  sofa.  Poor  woman, 
she  is  burning  with  fever  and  exhausted  with  fatisue. 
Come ! " 

"  But  what  was  she  doing  overhead?"  said  M.  Goefle, 
returning  to  the  staircase  and  addressing  the  major, 
while  the  two  young  girls  conducted  the  family  of  the 
danneman  into  the  guard-room.  "  Nothing  will  get  it 
out  of  my  head  that  we  shall  find  in  this  room,  walled 
up  by  Stenson  with  so  much  care,  some  secret  even  more 
important,  some  proof  even  more  unanswerable  than  the 
memories  of  Karine,  and  the  declaration  of  Stenson. 
Come,  Christian,  we  must  absolutely  —  but  where  are 
you  then  ?  " 

"Christian?"  cried  Margaret,  returning  hastily  from 
the  guard-room  ;  "  he  is  not  with  us.  Where  is  he?  " 


THE   SNOW  MAN.  505 

"He  has  already  gone  up  above,"  said  the  major, 
running  up  the  wooden  staircase. 

"  Damnation  !  "  cried  M.  Goefle,  who  ascended  with 
Osmund  into  the  walled-up  room  ;  "  he  has  gone  !  He 
has  slipped  through  this  crack  like  an  adder.  Is  not  that 
he  running  along  the  wall?  Christian  !  — " 

"  Not  a  word,"  said  the  major.  "  He  is  running  along 
the  edge  of  an  abyss  !  Do  not  startle  him.  Now — I  can 
no  longer  see  him ;  he  is  lost  in  the  fog.  I  should  like 
to  follow  him,  but  I  am  larger  than  he.  I  could  never 
pass  through  there." 

"  Listen  !  "  rejoined  M.  Goefle.  "  He  has  jumped 
down  !  —  He  is  speaking  ! — Listen  !  — " 

Christian's  voice  was  distinctly  audible  in  the  silence 
of  the  night ;  he  was  saying  to  the  soldiers  : 

"  It  is  I !  It  is  I !  The  major  sends  me  to  the 
chateau." 

"  Ah  !  the  foolhardy,  the  brave  boy  !  "  cried  M.  Goefle. 
"  He  takes  counsel  only  with  his  own  heart.  He  has  gone 
all  alone  to  face  his  enemies,  and  deliver  Stenson." 

In  fact,  Christian  had  flown  away,  to  use  the  daimeman's 
expression,  like  the  bird  of  the  night,  through  the  crack  of 
an  old  wall.  The  name  of  Stensou,  pronounced  by  Ka- 
rinc,  had  pierced  his.heart. 

"That  he  may  rejoice  before  he  dies  !"  she  had  said, 
as  her  prophetic  vision  passed  away. 

And  would  he  indeed  be  doomed  to  die  under  the 
blows  of  his  executioners?  Were  those  heart-rending 
words  one  of  the  cruel,  mocking  delusions  with  which 
hope  inspires  us? 

Christum  was  imprisoned,  and  his  efforts  paralyzed  by 
the  prudence  of  the  major.  A  quarrel  between  them  on 
this  subject  was  imminent,  and  although  he  knew  the 
clanger  of  attempting  to  escape  through  the  crumbling  wall 
of  the  old  tower,  he  preferred  running  this  risk  to  meas- 
uring his  strength  with  one  of  the  excellent  friends  that 

._-  r 

Providence  had  sent  him.  When  he  had  before  seen  this 
acccidental  opening  in  the  wall,  he  was  too  far  away,  and 
too  much  preoccupied,  to  observe  it  closely.  The  fog 


506 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


was  .slowly  dissipating,  but  the  light  was  still  vague  and 
dim.  However,  Karine  had  passed  through  it. 

"My  God!"  he  said,  "let  my  devotion  inspire  me 
with  the  supernatural  faculties  which  we  sometimes  see 
exerted  in  delirium." 

Knowing  well  that  skill  and  caution  would  be  of  no 
use  now,  since  he  could  not  see  two  steps  before  him,  the 
child  of  the  lake,  trusting  to  the  continual  miracle  of  his 
destiny,  ran  swiftly  down  a  path  by  which  he  had  not 
ventured  to  ascend  during  the  day. 

XIX. 

/"^HRISTIAN  reached  the  manor  of  Waldemora  before 
^-^  the  major,  who  set  out  at  once  to  join  him,  but  who 
had  to  put  himself  at  the  head  of  his  little  troop,  and  to 
give  them  orders,  had  succeeded  in  making  more  than 
half  the  distance.  Pie  found  the  doors  of  the  courts  open, 
and  the  whole  place  brilliantly  illuminated,  as  usual  dur- 
ing the  festivities.  There  was  a  great  deal  of  bustle  and 
confusion  on  the  staircase,  but  of  an  unusual  kind.  No 
more  beautiful  ladies  elegantly  dressed,  no  more  hand- 
some gentlemen  with  powdered  hair,  Avere  now  to  be  seen, 
moving  gayly  to  and  fro  to  the  sound  of  Rameau's  music, 
and  exchanging,  as  they  met,  stately  bows  or  gracious 
smiles.  In  their  place  were  busy  servants  carrying 
trunks,  and  making  all  haste  to  load  sleighs.  Almost  all 
the  visitors  at  the  chateau  were  preparing  to  depart. 
Some  were  whispering  in  low  voices  in  the  corridor,;, 
while  others  had  shut  themselves  up  in  their  rooms  to  take 
a  few  hours'  repose,  after  giving  orders  for  the  journey. 

What  was  occurring?  Every  one  was  so  agitated,  that 
Christian,  booted,  with  his  head  bare,  his  coat  torn  and 
stained  with  blood,  and  his  hunting-knife  in  his  belt,  was 
scarcely  noticed.  The  servants  made  way  for  him  in- 
stinctively, without  asking  themselves  who  was  this 
belated  hunter,  taking  thorn  by  storm  in  this  way,  and 
seeming  resolved  to  knock  them  all  down  rather  than 
be  kept  waiting  a  single  second. 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


507 


Christian  accordingly  crossed  the  hunting-gallery,  where 
a  number  of  persons,  with  faces  strangely  agitated,  were 
wandering  restlessly  about.  Among  them  he  recognized 
several  who  had  been  pointed  out  to  him  at  the  ball  as  the 
baron's  presumptuous  heirs.  They  seemed  very  much 
excited,  were  whispering  together,  and  anxiously  watch- 
ing a  certain  door,  as  if  expecting  every  instant  to  see  it 
thrown  open  by  the  bearer  of  some  important  intelligence. 

Without  giving  them  time  to  observe  him  closely,  or  to 
understand  what  he  was  doing,  Christian  crossed  this  door, 
which  he  concluded  would  lead  to  the  baron's  apartments  ; 
but,  as  he  was  passing  through  quite  a  long  corridor,  he 
heard  horrible  groans.  He  hurried  on  in  the  direction 
from  which  they  came,  and,  entering  an  open  door,  found 
himself  in  the  presence  of  Stangstadius,  who  Avas  sitting 
quietly  reading  a  paper  by  a  little  lamp  with  a  shade, 
and  who  did  not  seem  in  the  least  disturbed  by  the  fear- 
ful lamentations  which  could  be  heard  in  this  room  even 
more  distinctly  than  in  the  corridor. 

"What  is  that?"  said  Christian,  seizing  him  by  the 
arm.  "  Is  it  here  that  they  torture  people?" 

Christian's  appearance  was  certainly  rather  formidable, 
especially  as  he  had  laid  his  hand  upon  his  knife.  The 
illustrious  geologist  started  up  in  great  terror,  crying  : 

"What  is  the  matter?  Whom  do  you  want?  Whom 
are  you  speaking  of?  " 

"The  baron's  apartment?"  said  the  young  man  lacon- 
ically, and  with  such  a  tone  of  authority  that  even  Stang- 
stadius did  not  venture  to  discuss  the  matter  further. 

"That  way  !  "  he  said,  pointing  to  the  left.  Having 
thus  replied,  he  returned  to  his  reading,  very  glad  to  see 
Christian  withdraw,  and  saying  to  himself  that  the 
baron  had  strange  bandits  in  his  service,  and  that  you  met 
people  in  his  rooms  whom  you  would  not  care  to  en- 
counter in  the  middle  of  a  wood. 

Christian  crossed  another  room,  and  came  to  a  door 
that  was  fastened.  He  forced  it  open  with  one  violent 
thrust.  He  felt,  at  that  moment,  as  if  he  could  have  broken 
down  the  gates  of  hell. 

A  gloomy  spectacle  was  presented  to  his  view.     The 


508  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

baron,  in  frightful  convulsions,  was 
agony  of  death  ;  around  him  stood  Johan,  Jacob,  the  phy- 
sician, and  Pastor  Akerstrom,  and  it  was  all  these  four 
persons  could  do  to  keep  him  from  throwing  himself  out 
of  his  bed,  and  rolling  on  the  floor.  They  were  so  en- 
tirely absorbed  by  the  patient,  who  was  in  a  terrible  crisis 
of  pain,  that  they  did  not  hear  Christian  come  in,  not- 
withstanding the  noise  he  made,  and  did  not  know  of  his 
presence  until  the  dying  man,  whose  face  was  turned 
towards  him,  cried,  with  an  accent  of  anguish  and  terror 
impossible  to  describe : 

"  There  he  is  —  there  he  is — there  —  my  brother  !  " 

At  the  same  instant  his  mouth  contracted,  his  teeth 
clenched,  cutting  his  tongue,  from  which  the  blood  spurted. 
He  threw  himself  back  so  suddenly  and  violently,  that 
he  escaped  from  the  hands  that  were  trying  to  hold  him, 
and,  with  his  head  thrown  back,  fell  with  a  terrible  crash 
against  the  wall  of  his  alcove.  He  was  dead  ! 

While  the  minister,  the  physician,  and  honest  Jacob, 
all  of  them  pale  with  terror,  exchanged  the  solemn  words, 
"All  is  over!"  Johan,  who,  during  the  whole  scene,  had 
preserved  the  most  astonishing  presence  of  mind,  looked 
at  Christian  and  recognized  him.  For  the  last  hour  he 
had  been  impatiently  waiting  to  learn  the  result  of  the 
attempt  at  Stollborg,  but  had  not  been  able  to  quit  the 
dying  man  for  a  single  instant.  Christian's  presence 
showed  him  that  it  had  failed.  Johan  felt  that  he  was 
lost.  His  only  safety  was  in  flight,  even  if  he  should  re- 
turn at  a  later  day  to  submit  to  the  new  master  of  Wal- 
demora,  or  to  try  and  make  away  with  him,  with  the 
assistance  of  the  accomplices  upon  whom  he  could  still 
rely.  Whatever  he  might  determine  hereafter,  he  only 
thought  now  of  escaping,  but  this  was  no  longer  possible. 
Christian  was  pressing  too  hard  upon  him ;  at  the 
threshold  of  the  door  he  seized  him  by  the  collar,  and 
with  such  a  vigorous  grasp,  that  the  wretch,  pale  and  suf- 
focated, fell  upon  his  knees,  imploring  pardon. 

"  Stenson  ! "  said  Christian.  "  What  have  you  done  with 
Stenson?" 

"Who  are  you,  monsieur,  and  what  are  you  doing?" 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


509 


cried  the  minister,  in  a  severe  tone.  "  Is  this  a  time,  at 
this  solemn  moment,  and  in  the  presence  of  a  man  whose 
soul  is  even  now  appearing  before  the  supreme  tribunal, 
to  commit  deeds  of  violence?" 

While  the  minister  was  speaking,  Jacob  was  trying  to 
disengage  Johan  from  Christian's  grasp  ;  but  the  young 
man's  fearful  excitement  had  increased  his  strength  ten- 
fold, and  it  would  have  required  more  than  the  combined 
strength  of  the  three  persons  present  to  force  him  to 
release  his  prize. 

At  the  sound  of  the  tumult  Stangstadius  rushed  in, 
leaving  the  passage  free  to  the  heirs,  resolved  to  be  sat- 
isfied as  to  the  baron's  real  condition,  and  to  the  servants, 
who  had  been  on  the  watch,  and  who  hurried  in,  to  hear 
the  dying  man's  last  groan. 

"Who  are  you,  monsieur?"  repeated  the  minister,  by 
whom  Christian  had  allowed  himself  voluntarily  to  be 
disarmed,  but  without  releasing  his  prey. 

"I  am  Christian  Goefle,"  he  replied,  as^well  from  com- 
passion for  the  poor  heirs,  as  because  he  felt  the  necessity 
of  being  prudent  in  their  company  ;  "I  come  on  the  part 
of  M.  Goefle,  my  relative  and  my  friend,  to  demand  old 
Adam  Stenson,  whom  this  wretch  has  perhaps  assassi- 
nated." 

"Assassinated?"  cried  the  minister,  shrinking  back  in 
terror. 

"Oh,  he  is  quite  capable  of  it!"  cried  the  heirs,  who 
were  crowding  in,  and  who  hated  Johan. 

Without  paying  any  further  attention  to  the  incident, 
they  crowded  around  the  dear  deceased,  stifling  the  poor 
physician  with  their  numbers,  assailing  him  with  eager 
questions,  and  feasting  their  eyes  upon  the  spectacle  of 
the  baron's  hideously  disfigured  face,  which  still  terrified 
them,  in  spite  of  their  joy. 

However,  they  moved  aside  with  some  deference  to 
admit  the  impassible  Stangstadius,  who  came  with  a  glass 
to  make  the  final  test,  while  declaring  right  and  left  that 
the  doctor  was  an  ass,  who  could  not  tell  whether  a  man 
was  dead  or  not.  If  Christian  had  not  been  so  busy  with 
his  own  affairs,  he  would  have  heard  several  voices  ex- 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 

claim,  "  Is  there  no  hope  ?  "  in  a  tone  that  signified  clearly 
enough,  "Heaven  grant  that  he  is  really  dead  I"  But 
Christian  had  no  thought  to  bestow  upon  his  inheritance  ; 
he  wanted  to  see  Stenson,  and  he  demanded  that  Johan 
should  produce  him  immediately,  or  should  conduct  him 
himself  into  the  old  man's  presence. 

"Let  the  man  go,"  said*  the  minister;  "you  are 
strangling  him.  He  is  not  in  a  condition  to  answer 
you." 

"  I  am  not  strangling  him  at  all,"  replied  Christian, 
who,  in  fact,  had  taken  great  pains  not  to  to  endanger  the 
fellow's  life,  since  he  was  in  possession  of  important 
secrets  which  he  wished  to  discover. 

Meanwhile,  the  cunning  Johan  took  advantage  of  M. 
Akerstrom's  kindness.  Unwilling  to  reply,  he  pretended 
to  faint.  The  minister  blamed  Christian  for  his  brutality  ; 
and  the  servants,  who  one  and  all  felt  very  uneasy  about 
their  own  fate  if  the  redressers  of  wrongs  should  begin 
their  office,  seemed  much  more  inclined  to  ^defend  their 
comrade  than  to  submit  to  the  authority  of  an  unknown. 

When  a  sufficient  number  of  Johan's  adherents  had 
gathered  around  him  to  enable  him  to  resume  his  audac- 
ity, he  quickly  recovered  his  consciousness,  and  cried  out 
in  a  resounding  voice,  that  was  heard  above  the  tumult 
of  the  apartment : 

"Monsieur  Minister,  I  denounce  an  intriguant  and  an 
impostor,  who  has  come  here  with  an  infernal  forged  ro- 
mance to  pass  himself  off  as  the  only  heir  of  the  barony. 
You  hate  me!"  he  added,  addressing  the  heirs;  "very 
good !  give  me  up  to  his  vengeance ;  and  now  that  the 
master  is  dead,  you  will  no  longer  have  any  one  to  baffle 
the  infamous  machinations  of  M.  Goefle  ;  for  he  it  is  who 
has  brought  forward  this  chevalier  d'industrie,  and  who 
boasts  that  he  will  make  his  rights  prevail  over  all  of 
yours." 

If  a  thunderbolt  had  fallen  upon  them  it  could  not 
have  produced  greater  terror  and  consternation  in  the 
persons  present,  than  Johan's  words ;  but,  as  he  had 
anticipated,  this  first  stupor  was  followed  by  a  sudden 
reaction.  Christian  tried  to  speak  —  for  the  physician 


THE  SNOW  MAN.  511 

called  upon  him  to  justify  or  to  explain  himself — but  his 
voice  was  drowned  in  a  chorus  of  insults  and  maledictions. 

"  Drive  him  out !  drive  him  out  ignominiously  ! "  cried 
the  cousins  and  nephews  of  the  deceased. 

"No  no  !  "  cried  Johan,  supported  by  his  accomplices, 
who  understood  perfectly  well  that  the  day  of  revelations 
had  come,  and  that  it  was  necessary  to  reduce  the 
avengers  to  silence.  "Make  him  a  pi'isoner !  To  the 
tower  with  him  !  To  the  tower  ! " 

"  Yes,  yes,  to  the  tower  with  him  ! "  bellowed  the  Baron 
de  Lindenwald,  who  was  perhaps  the  keenest  in  the  hunt, 
and  the  most  rapacious  of  all  the  heirs. 

"No,  kill  him  !"  cried  Johan,  venturing  everything  to 
gain  his  end. 

"Yes,  kill  him!  throw  him  out  of  the  window!" 
echoed  the  infuriated  group,  frenzied  by  their  diabolical 
passions. 

The  chamber  of  the  dead  man  had  become  the  theatre 
of  a  tumultuous  and  scandalous  scene.  The  servants 
rushed  upon  Christian,  who  could  not  defend  himself, 
since  the  minister,  with  the  best  intentions  in  the  world, 
had  thrown  himself  before  him,  declaring  that  he  would 
lose  his  own  life  rather  than  see  a  murder  accomplished 
in  his  presence. 

The  physician,  Jacob,  and  two  of  the  heirs,  an  old 
man  and  his  young  son,  placed  themselves  also  by  Chris- 
tian's side,  out  of  respect  for  the  minister,  and  from  their 
natural  honor  and  good  feeling.  Stangstadius,  hoping  to 
calm  the  passions  of  the  incensed  assailants  by  the  au- 
thority of  his  name  and  his  eloquence,  threw  himself  be- 
tween them  and  this  little  group  ;  but  they  took  no  notice 
of  him,  and  crowded  against  Christian  with  such  force 
that  the  young  man,  more  impeded  than  assisted  by  his 
feeble  champions,  was  pushed  steadily,  step  by  step, 
towards  the  window,  which  Johau  had  just  thrown  open. 
This  wretch,  with  his  eye  on  fire  and  mouth  foaming 
with  rage,  never  stopped  for  a  single  instant  vociferating 
threats  and  denunciations,  so  as  to  prevent  the  terror  and 
madness  of  his  party  from  growing  cold. 

As  they  looked  upon  this  frightful  man,  who  threw  off, 


512 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


at  last,  his  mask  of  hypocritical  mildness,  aud  showed  the 
tiger  beneath,  with  all  his  bloodthirsty  instincts,  the 
minister  and  physician  were  struck  with  terror.  Faint 
aud  trembling,  they  recoiled,  or  rather  fell  back  upon 
Christian,  while  two  of  the  most  determined  blackguards 
among  the  servants  seized  him  adroitly  by  the  legs,  for 
the  purpose  of  lifting  him  up  and  throwing  him  out  back- 
wards. All  would  have  been  over  with  him  in  another 
moment,  when  Major  Larrson,  the  lieutenant,  the  corporal, 
M.  Goefle,  and  the  four  soldiers,  rushed  into  the  room. 

"  Obey  the  law  !  "  cried  the  major,  going  up  to  Johan. 
"  In  the  name  of  the  king,  I  arrest  you." 

Handing  him  over  to  Corporal  Duff,  he  added,  address- 
ing the  lieutenant : 

"  Allow  no  one  to  leave  the  room  !  " 

No  one  ventured  to  dispute  the  authority  of  an  officer 
of  the  indelta,  and  amid  the  silence  that  followed,  occa- 
sioned both  by  fear  and  respect,  Larrson  gazed  around 
him,  and  saw  the  baron,  motionless,  upon  iis  bed.  He 
approached,  looked  at  him  attentively,  and  took  off  his 
hat,  saying : 

"  Death  is  the  messenger  of  God  !  " 

Then  he  replaced  it  upon  his  head,  as  he  added : 

"  May  God  pardon  the  Baron  de  Waldemora  !•" 

Several  voices  were  now  raised  to  implore  the  major's 
assistance  in  putting  down  intriguants  and  impostors ; 
but  he  ordered  all  to  be  silent,  declaring  that  the  first  ex- 
planation of  the  strange  scene  he  had  discovered  on  enter- 
ing, must  be  made  by  the  minister. 

"  Would  it  not  be  more  suitable,"  rejoined  the  minister, 
"to  listen  to  this  explanation  in  another  apartment?" 

"  Yes,"  said  the  major,  "  out  of  respect  to  the  dead, 
we  will  go  into  the  baron's  cabinet.  Corporal,  see  that 
the  persons  present  pass  out  in  single  file,  and  that  no 
one  remains,  or  leaves  the  room  by  any  other  door.  Mon- 
sieur Minister,  will  you  be  so  good  as  to  pass  first,  with 
Doctor  Stangstadius  and  the  baron's  physician  ?  " 

Christian  pointed  out  the  old  Count  de  Nora  and  his 
son,  who  had  tried  so  loyally  to  defend  him,  and  the 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


5*3 


major  allowed  them  to  pass  freely,  and,  when  questioning 
them  in  their  turn,  showed  them  the  greatest  respect. 

The  examination  of  facts  was  very  minute  ;  but,  as 
soon  as  it  was  completed,  the  major  lost  no  time  in  com- 
plying with  the  wish  of  the  impatient  Christian,  and  of 
M.  Goetie.  He  ordered,  at  once,  that  old  Stenson  should 
be  delivered  from  the  tower,  where  Jacob  declared  that 
he  had  been  grieved  to  see  him  conducted  an  hour  before. 
Christian  would  have  gone  to  him  immediately,  but  the 
major  forbade  this,  and,  without  giving  any  explanation 
of  his  conduct,  ordered  that  Stensori  should  be  immedi- 
ately taken  back  to  Stollborg,  and  reinstated  in  his  res- 
idence with  all  possible  respect,  but  without  being  allowed 
to  communicate  with  any  human  being.  Whoever  should 
violate  these  instructions  was  threatened  with  the  severest 
penalties.  He  then  ordered  Johan  and  four  lackeys, 
who,  the  minister  declared,  had  attempted  Christian's 
life,  to  be  taken  to  prison  in  Stenson's  place.  Those  who 
had  been  contented  with  insulting  him,  and  who  hastened 
to  deny  the  fact,  were  reprimanded,  and  threatened  with 
being  handed  over  to  justice  in  case  the  offence  should  be 
repeated. 

There  was  no  danger  of  that.  In  spite  of  the  small 
number  of  men  with  the  major  at  this  moment,  every  one 
felt  that  he  had  the  law  and  right  upon  his  side,  as  well 
as  courage  and  determination.  They  took  it  for  granted, 
also,  from  his  bearing,  that  he  had  sent  word  to  his  com- 
pany, and  that  at  any  moment  the  indelta  might  be  rep- 
resented in  force  at  the  chateau. 

In  the  absence  of  any  other  magistrate,  for  the  de- 
ceased chatelain,  in  virtue  of  his  privileges,  had  assumed 
entire  control  in  the  canton,  and,  for  the  present,  was 
left  without  a  successor,  the  major  called  upon  the  minis- 
ter of  the  parish,  and  M.  Goefle,  to  assist  him  :  the  one  as 
possessing  both  civil  authority  and  moral  influence,  and 
the  other  as  a  legal  adviser.  He  had  all  the  keys 
brought,  and  intrusted  them  to  Jacob,  whom  he  appointed 
major-domo  and  guardian  of  the  chateau,  assigning  to  him 
the  special  assistance  of  two  soldiers,  so  that  he  might 
oblige  the  other  servants  to  respect  his  authority  in  case  of 

33 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 

necessity.  He  intrusted  the  care  of  superintending  the 
baron's  obsequies  to  the  physician,  and  declared  that  he 
would  now  immediately  proceed,  with  the  minister,  M. 
Goefle,  the  lieutenant,  and  four  witnesses  to  be  appointed 
by  the  heirs,  to  look  for  a  will,  although  Johan  had  de- 
clared that  the  baron  had  made  no  will. 

The  heirs,  who  were  very  much  alarmed  and  irritated 
at  first,  became  more  tranquil  when  they  saw  that  neither 
the  major,  nor  M.  Goefle,  nor  Christian,  referred  to  a 
new  competitor.  There  were  about  a  dozen  of  them,  all 
very  badly  disposed  towards  each  other,  although  they  had 
necessarily  been  very  closely  associated,  since  they  had 
been  equally  eager  to  pay  court  to  the  baron,  and  exert  a 
strict  surveillance  over  the  common  prey.  The  old  Count 
de  Nora,  the  poorest  of  them  all,  was  the  only  one  who 
had  preserved  his  dignity  with  his  relatives,  and  his  in- 
tegrity in  his  relations  with  the  baron. 

No  will  which  the  baron  could  have  made  would  have 
affected  Christian's  rights.  M.  Goefle's  expressive  looks, 
and  a  few  whispered  words,  gave  Christian  to  under- 
stand that  they  were  instituting  this  search  merely  to 
quiet  the  rapacious  band  of  heirs,  and  gain  time  until 
they  were  ready  to  act  openly.  Christian  comprehended 
also,  from  the  expressive  silence  of  his  friends  about  him, 
that  the  time  had  not  come  to  make  himself  known,  and 
that,  for  the  moment,  his  rightful  claims,  and  the  accusa- 
tions brought  against  him  by  Johan,  were  to  be  equally 
ignored. 

The  heirs,  as  may  be  supposed,  had  accepted  this  situa- 
tion joyfully.  Their  fears  were  quite  allayed  by  M. 
Goefle's  apparent  indifference  —  which  they  regarded  as 
a  practical  denial  of  Johan's  assertions  —  and  by  the  air 
of  perfect  security  which  Christian  very  naturally  assumed 
from  the  moment  that  he  was  satisfied  as  to  Stenson's 
fate.  Christian  seconded  still  further  the  wishes  of  his 
friends  by  declining  to  accompany  them  in  their  search 
for  the  will ;  and  as  his  presence  was  no  longer  required 
in  the  cabinet,  the  examination  being  over,  he  went  into 
the  hunting-gallery,  and  soon  forgot  everything  except 
his  anxiety  to  find  out  what  had  happened  to  Margaret. 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


515 


Suddenly  he  saw  Countess  Elveda  coming  into  the  gal- 
lery. 

She  recognized  him  while  still  at  a  distance,  and  came 
to  meet  him. 

"  Ah,  ah  !  "  she  said  gayly  ;  "  you  have  not  gone,  then, 
or  you  have  returned,  Monsieur  Phantom  ?  And  in  what 
a  costume,  to  be  sure  !  Have  you  just  come  from  hunt- 
ing in  the  middle  of  the  night  ?  " 

"  Exactly,  madame,"  replied  Christian,  who  saw,  from 
the  cheerfulness  of  Margaret's  aunt,  how  little  she  knew 
or  cared  about  her  niece's  escapade.  "  I  have  been  hunt- 
ing bears  a  long  way  off,  and  have  returned  only  to  hear 
of  the  event — " 

"Oh  yes!  the  baron's  death!"  said  the  countess, 
lightly.  "It  is  all  over,  I  trust,  and  one  can  venture  to 
breathe  again.  I  have  been  very  unfortunate,  for  my  part ! 
From  my  rooms,  you  could  hear  all  his  dying  groans. 
I  was  obliged  to  take  refuge  with  Olga,  and  that  young 
person  entertained  me  with  a  different  sort  of  music. 
That  poor  girl  is  very  nervous,  and  when  I  informed  her 
that  instead  of  seeing  the  marionettes  we  should  be 
obliged  either  to  start  for  our  homes  in  the  fog,  or  to  re- 
main in  the  house  of  a  dying  man  until  he  would  be 
good  enough  to  give  up  the  ghost,  she  fell  into  frightful 
convulsions.  Those  Russians  are  so  superstitious  !  At 
last  we  are  quiet  again,  but  I  am  going  to  take  my  de- 
parture at  once,  notwithstanding,  for  I  hear  they  are 
going  to  ring  a  great  bell,  which  is  only  rung  at  the 
death  or  birth  of  the  seigneurs  of  the  domain.  I  shall 
make  my  escape,  therefore,  for  it  will  be  impossible  to 
sleep,  and  that  bell  tolling  for  the  dead  would  make  me 
desperately  gloomy.  Isn't  that  it  now  ?  " 

"  I  think  it  is,"  replied  Christian ;  "  but  don't  you  in- 
tend to  take  the  countess  with  you  —  your  niece?" 

He  added,  with  the  most  perfect  apparent  frankness  and 
simplicity  : 

"  I  am  really  very  stupid  to  be  unable  to  recall  her 
name." 

"  You  are  very  artful !  "  replied  the  countess,  laugh- 
ing. "You  must  have  been  courting  her  the  other  eve- 


516  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

ning,  since  you  challenged  the  baron  for  her  sake.  Ah 
well,  I  am  not  at  all  shocked  !  such  things  belong  to  your 
age ;  and,  after  all,  I  was  by  no  means  displeased  by 
your  boldness  in  defying  the  baron,  who  was  a  very 
wicked  man.  You  have  good  qualities  —  I  am  a  judge  — 
and  I  see  now  how  unsuited  to  your  character  were  the 
lessons  in  diplomacy  and  prudence  that  I  gave  you  at  our 
first  meeting.  You  are  in  a  different  road  ;  for  there 
are  two  ways  that  lead  to  success — skill  and  courage. 
Good  !  you  perhaps  have  chosen  the  shortest,  that  of 
the  wrong-headed  and  audacious.  You  must  go  to 
Russia,  my  dear.  You  are  handsome  and  bold.  I  have 
spoken  to  the  ambassador  about  you,  and  he  has  plans 
for  you.  Do  you  understand  me  ?  " 

"  Not  the  least  in  the  world,  madame." 

"  Oh,  it  is  plain  enough  !  Orloff  cannot  remain  in  favor 
forever,  and  there  are  certain  interests  that  may  come 
into  conflict  with  his  —  you  understand  now  ?  So,  then, 
don't  think  of  my  niece,  for  you  can  aspire  to  a  more 
brilliant  fortune  ;  and  as,  for  the  moment,  you  are  nothing, 
not  even  M.  Goefle's  nephew,  for  he  refuses  to  acknowledge 
you  even  for  an  illegitimate  child,  I  warn  you  that  I  will 
have  the  door  shut  in  your  face  if  you  come  to  my  house 
with  the  foolish  notion  of  pleasing  Margaret.  On  the 
other  hand,  I  shall  expect  to  see  you  in  Stockholm  so  as 
to  present  you  to  the  ambassador,  who  will  take  you  into 
his  service.  Au  revoir,  then  !  —  or  stay  —  I  will  take 
you  with  me  !  " 

"Really?" 

"  Certainly  I  will.  I  can  do  so  without  the  least  in- 
convenience, since  I  am  going  to  leave  my  niece  here. 
Frightened  by  the  groans  of  the  dying  man,  she  has  gone 
to  pass  the  night  at  the  parsonage,  with  her  friend  Mad- 
emoiselle Akerstrom ;  or  at  least  that  is  what  her  gov- 
erness pretends.  It  doesn't  matter  ;  wherever  the  little 
coward  has  taken  refuge,  Mademoiselle  Potin  is  to  take 
her  back  to  Dalby  to-morrow,  under  the  charge  of  Peter- 
son, an  old  family  servant.  M.  Stangstadius  has  promised 
rne,  also,  to  accompany  them.  The  child  will  be  heart- 
broken, for  she  natters  herself  that  she  is  coming  with 


THE   SNOW  MAN.  517 

me  to  Stockholm  ;  but  she  is  still  too  young  :  she  will  do 
nothing  but  commit  blunders  in  society.  Her  debut  is 
put  off  until  next  year." 

"  So,"  said  Christian,  "  she  must  pass  still  another 
year  all  alone  in  her  old  manor  ?  " 

"  Ah,  I  see  that  she  has  been  confiding  her  sorrows  to 
you.  It  is  a  very  touching  story,  and  it  is  to  save  you 
from  being  afflicted  with  it  that  I  shall  carry  you  off  in 
my  sleigh.  Stay,  I  will  give  you  an  hour  to  get  ready, 
and  will  come  for  you  in  this  gallery.  Is  it  agreed  ?  " 

"I  am  not  at  all  sure,"  replied  Christian,  boldly.  "  I 
warn  you  that  I  am  very  much  in  love  with  your  niece." 

"  Well,  so  much  the  better,  if  ,it  lasts  !  "  resumed  the 
countess.  "  When  you  have  passed  several  yeai'S  in 
Russia,  and  have  won  sufficient  roubles,  and  peasants, 
and  estates,  I  will  not  say  no,  if  you  persist." 

The  countess  withdrew,  persuaded  that  Christian  would 
be  punctual  at  the  rendezvous. 

She  had  no  sooner  disappeared  than  Mademoiselle 
Potin,  who  had  been  watching  them,  slipped  up  to  Chris- 
tian to  remonstrate  with  him  severely.  She  had  been 
very  anxious  about  Margaret,  and  had  sought  her  every- 
where. 

"Luckily,"  added  the  governess,  "she  has  just  come 
in  with  her  friend  Martina,  whose  mother,  supposing  her 
detained  in  our  apartment,  was  not  uneasy  about  her  ;  but 
it  troubles  me  to  have  to  tell  so  many  falsehoods  to  conceal 
Margaret's  imprudences,  and  I  declare  to  you  that  I  will 
reveal  everything  to  the  countess,  unless  you  give  me 
your  word  of  honor  that  you  will  leave  the  chateau  and 
the  country  immediately." 

Christian  comforted  good  Mademoiselle  Potin  by  as- 
suring her  that  she  should  have  no  further  cause  of  dis- 
pleasure ;  and,  well  knowing  how  impossible  it  would  be 
to  comply  with  her  wishes,  he  waited  what  was  next  to 
occur. 

At  one  o'clock  in  the  morning  the  major's  company 
arrived,  silently,  and  with  despatch.  Information  of  the 
fact  was  given  to  him,  and  he  declared  the  search  for  the 
will  at  an  end.  They  had  found  nothing,  to  the  great 


518  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

satisfaction  of  most  of  the  heirs,  who  preferred  trusting 
to  their  legal  claims  rather  than  to  the  doubtful  benev- 
olence of  the  deceased. 

"  Now,  gentlemen,"  said  the  major,  "  I  must  beg  you 
to  follow  me  to  Stollborg,  where  I  have  reason  to  believe 
that  a  will  has  been  confided  to  M.  Stenson." 

They  all  rushed  eagerly  to  the  door  of  the  room,  but 
he  detained  them. 

"  Permit  me,"  he  said ;  "  under  the  present  circum- 
stances, a  very  grave  responsibility  rests  upon  the  min- 
ister, upon  M.  Goefie,  and  myself,  and  I  must  proceed 
with  great  rigor,  according  to  the  duties  of  my  office,  to 
call  together  as  large  a  number  of  responsible  witnesses 
as  can  be  found,  and  to  ^ee  that  all  things  are  conducted 
in  an  orderly  and  satisfactory  manner.  Be  so  good  as  to 
accompany  me  to  the  hunting-gallery,  where  the  other 
witnesses  ought  by  this  time  to  be  assembled." 

In  fact,  in  accordance  with  the  major's  orders,  all  the 
guests  at  the  new  chateau  had  been  requested  to  adjourn 
to  the  hunting-gallery.  This  virtual  command  was  very 
annoying  to  many  of  them,  who  were  already  all  pre- 
pared for  their  departure,  but  the  indelta  spoke  in  the 
name  of  the  law,  and  they  submitted. 

Countess  Elveda,  eager  to  get  off,  and  always  very  ac- 
tive, was  the  first  to  appear.  She  found  Christian  asleep 
on  the  sofa. 

"  What !  "  she  cried,  "  is  that  your  way  of  making 
ready  for  a  journey  !  —  And  what  are  you  doing  here  ?  " 
she  added,  addressing  Margaret,  who  came  in  with  her 
governess. 

"  I  am  sure  I  don't  know,"  replied  Margaret,  "  I  am 
obeying  a  general  order." 

Soon  after  Olga  arrived,  and  then  followed  the  minis- 
ter's family.  M.  Stangstadius,  the  ambassador  and  his 
suite,  in  a  word,  all  the  guests  assembled  at  Waldemora, 
and  most  of  them  in  very  ill-humor  at  having  been  de- 
tained at  the  very  moment  of  starting,  or  else  at  having 
been  aroused  from  their  sleep.  They  grumbled  bitterly, 
and  railed  against  the  gloomy  bell,  which  might  have 
been  let  alone,  they  said,  until  every  one  had  gone. 


THE  SNOW  MAN..  519 

"But  what  is  the  matter?  What  do  they  want  with 
us?"  cried  the  dowagers.  "Has  the  baron  given  orders 
that  we  are  to  keep  on  dancing  here  after  his  death,  or 
are  we  condemned  to  see  him  laid  out  on  his  bed  of  state  ? 
For  my  part,  I  had  rather  be  excused.  How  do  you 
feel?" 

"Who  is  that  young  man  who  has  just  gone  out?" 
said  the  ambassador  to  Countess  Elveda.  "Is  it  not  our 
young  adventurer  ?  " 

"Yes,  that  is  our  adventurer,"  she  answered ;  "some 
one  just  handed  him  a  note.  It  seems  that  the  order  by 
which  we  are  detained  does  not  apply  to  him." 

In  fact,  Christian  had  received  a  few  lines  from  M. 
Goefle  to  the  following  effect : 

"Return  to  Stollborg,  and«dress  yourself  quickly  in 
the  costume  that  you  wore  at  the  ball  last  evening. 
Wait  for  us  in  the  bear-room.  Clear  up  the  rubbish  on 
the  staircase,  and  conceal  the  breach  in  the  wall  with 
the  maps." 

Tea  and  coffee  were  served  to  the  company  in  the 
hunting-gallery,  and,  in  about  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  all 
the  persons  designated  by  the  major  and  the  minister, 
together  with  the  baron's  heirs,  and  a  large  number  of 
the  servants  and  principal  vassals  of  the  domain,  pro- 
ceeded to  Stollborg,  where  Christian,  suitably  attired, 
did  the  honors  of  the  bear-room,  with  the  help  of  Nils, 
the  danuemans,  father  and  son,  and  Ulphilas,  who  had 
been  set  at  liberty  after  a  few  hours'  imprisonment.  We 
may  as  well  say,  in  passing,  that  Ulphilas  never  knew 
why  this  punishment  had  been  inflicted  upon  him  by  M. 
Johan  ;  he  never  understood,  either  before,  or  during,  or 
after  the  occurrence  of  the  events  we  have  narrated*,  the 
drama  enacted  in  Stollborg. 

XX. 

3EN  the  company  was  assembled,  the  major  laid 
before  them  all  the  particulars  of  the  scheme  for 
Christian's  assassination.     The  prisoners  were  summoned 


520 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


to  appear,  and  comprehending  that  their  cause  was  lost, 
in  con-sequence  of  Johan's  imprisonment  and  the  baron's 
death,  they  defended  themselves  so  poorly,  that  their  de- 
nials were  equivalent  to  a  confession.  Puffo  acknowl- 
edged frankly  that  he  had  been  commissioned  to  put  the 
gold  goblet  in  his  master's  baggage,  and  that  M.  Johan 
had  paid  him  to  do  it. 

"At  present,"  said  the  avaricious  and  haughty  Baron 
de  Lindenwald,  who  was  the  nearest  cousin  of  the  de- 
ceased, "  we  are  quite  willing  to  sign  a  formal  report, 
declaring  the  truth  of  the  accusations  brought  against  M. 
Johao. ;  but  on  condition  that  we  are  excused  from  judg- 
ing the  conduct  and  intentions  of  the  baron,  his  master. 
There  is  something  barbarous  and  impious  in  making 
these  investigations  for  t«he  purpose  of  bringing  a  suit 
against  a  man  who  has  not  yet  been  laid  in  the  tomb, 
and  who,  stretched  upon  his  death-bed,  cannot  reply  to 
any  accusations.  In  my  opinion,  gentlemen,  it  is  too 
late,  or  too  soon,  for  such  measures,  and  we  ought  to  re- 
fuse to  hear  anything  more.  What,  to  us,  is  the  individ- 
ual who  is  taking  all  these  precautions  to  satisiy  his 
vengeance  against  servants,  for  whom  nobody  cares,  and 
the  memory  of  a  man  of  whom  we  can  each  of  us  enter- 
tain his  own  opinion,  without,  I  trust,  being  called  upon 
to  re-vile  him  in  public  ?  We  were  told  about  a  will,  of 
which  nothing  more  is  said  ;  and  as  it  is  easy  to  see  that 
we  have  been  intentionally  deceived  in  this  matter,  I,  for 
one,  am  resolved  to  withdraw,  and  no  longer  to  submit 
to  the  authority  usurped  by  a  petty  officer  of  the  indelta. 
I  am  not  the  only  one  here  whose  privileges  are  disre- 
garded at  the  present  moment ;  and  when  such  things 
happen,  you  know  as  well  as  I  do,  gentlemen,  what  is  the 
right  thing  to  do." 

While  speaking,  the  Baron  de  Lindenwald  laid  his 
hand  upon  the  hilt  of  his  sword  ;  and  as  the  other  heirs 
followed  his  example,  a  fight  seemed  inevitable,  when  the 
minister,  with  much  vigor  of  speech  and  ecclesiastical 
dignity,  interposed,  calling  earnestly  upon  all  disinterested 
and  honest  persons  to  lend  him  their  support.  Almost 
every  one  present  responded  to  his  appeal,  and  by  their 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


521 


bearing  and  remarks  condemned  the  baron's  attempt  so 
unequivocally,  that  the  refractory  were  obliged  to  submit, 
and  the  major  was  spared  the  painful  duty  of  using  harsh 
measures  against  them. 

It  was  perfectly  evident  to  him,  and  to  all  the  witnesses 
of  this  scene,  that  the  heirs  were  unwilling  to  inquire  into 
the  causes  of  the  baron's  hatred  against  Christian,  because 
they  felt  a  presentiment  of  the  truth.  M.  Gocfle  had 
placed  him  designedly  under  his  father's  portrait,  and 
every  one  had  instantly  remarked  the  striking  resem- 
blance. But  there  were  no  words  in  the  Swedish  lan- 
guage bitter  and  sarcastic  enough  to  express  the  aversion 
with  which  the  presumptuous  were  beginning  to  regard 
this  juggler,  whom  Johan  had  denounced,  and  whom  M. 
Goefle  (whose  natural  son  he  was)  wished  to  establish  as 
the  baron's  heir,  by  means  of  an  improbable  romance  and 
forged  proofs. 

M.  Goefle  remained  impassible  and  smiling.  Christian 
found  it  difficult  to  contain  himself;  but  Margaret's  ten- 
der and  supplicating  glance  enabled  him  to  accomplish 
this  miracle. 

"Now,"  said  the  minister,  when  silence  was  restored, 
"introduce  M.Adam  Stenson,  who  has  been  kept  se- 
cluded in  his  .apartment  since  he  was  released  from 
prison." 

Adam  Stenson  appeared.  He  was  dressed  with  care, 
and  his  sweet  and  noble  face,  worn  with  fatigue,  but  still 
dignified  and  serene,  produced  a  most  favorable  impres- 
sion. M.  Goefle  begged  him  to  sit  down,  and  proceeded 
to  read  the  declaration  written  by  his  hand,  and  confided 
to  Manasses,  at  Perugia.  This  document,  which  had  not 
yet  been  brought  forward,  was  listened  to  by  some  of  the 
company  with  the  greatest  surprise  and  interest,  and  by 
others  in  sullen  and  gloomy  silence. 

The  Russian  ambassador,  who  had  no  such  views  for 
Christian  as  the  Countess  Elveda  pretended,  perhaps  be- 
cause she  was  trying  to  put  them  into  his  head,  but  who 
felt  a  genuine  interest  in  the  young  man,  on  account  of  his 
handsome  i'ace  and  determined  manner,  began  to  express 
his  approbation  of  the  way  in  which  this  investigation 


522 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


was  conducted,  so  as  to  do  away  with  the  necessity  of  a 
lawsuit,  or,  if  there  should  be  a  suit,  so  as  to  throw  all 
possible  light  upon  the  subject.  It'  ought  to  be  mentioned 
that  Christian's  friends  had  persuaded  this  dignitary  to  be 
present,  by  urgent  solicitations.  The  respect  that  M. 
Goefle  took  pains  to  show  him,  in  spite  of  his  prejudices 
against  his  policy,  flattered  the  ambassador,  who  liked  to 
be  mixed  up  in  the  affairs  of  private  individuals,  as  well 
as  in  public  matters,  in  Sweden. 

When  the  document  had  been  read,  the  minister  turned 
to  Stenson,  and  asked  him  whether  he  could  hear  the 
questions  that  were  addressed  to  him. 

"Yes,  Monsieur  Minister,"  replied  Stenson;  "I  am 
very  deaf,  it  is  true,  but  sometimes  I  recover  my  hearing 
almost  entirely,  and  I  often  hear  things  to  which  I  do  not 
wish  to  reply." 

"Will  you  answer  to-day?" 

"Yes,  monsieur,  I  wish  to  do  so." 

"Do  you  recognize  your  writing  in  this  document?" 

"Yes,  monsieur,  perfectly." 

"The  reasons  of  your  long  silence  are  indicated  in  it," 
resumed  the  minister;  "but  before  being  accepted  as 
true,  they  must  be  more  clearly  explained.  The  manner 
in  which  the  baron  has  treated  you  up  to  .the  present  time 
does  not  seem  compatible  either  with  the  fear  with  which 
you  have  regarded  him,  or  with  the  terrible  designs  upon 
other  persons  attributed  to  him  in  this  declaration." 

Stenson's  only  answer  was  to  lift  up  the  sleeve  of  his 
coat.  Eveiy  one  could  see,  upon  his  thin  and  trembling 
arms,  the  marks  of  the  cords  that  had  been  tied  so  tightly 
about  his  wrists  as  to  draw  blood. 

"  See,"  he  said,  "  with  what  sort  of  sport  the  baron 
was  amusing  himself,  when  the  agony  of  death  closed  his 
eyes,  and  terminated  my  torture  ;  but  I  did  not  acknowl- 
edge anything.  They  might  have  broken  my  old  bones  ! 
I  would  not  have  said  a  word.  What  is  it  to  die  at  my 
age?" 

"You  shall  not  die  yet,  Stenson!"  cried  M.  Goefle; 
"you  shall  live  to  experience  a  great  joy.  You  can  speak 
freely  now  ;  Baron  Olaus  is  no  more." 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


523 


"I  know  it,  monsieur,"  said  Stenson,  "since  I  am 
here  ;  but  there  is  no  more  happiness  for  me  in  this  world, 
for  he  whom  I  saved  has  perished ! " 

"Are  you  quite  sure  of  that,  Stenson?"  said  Monsieur 
Goefle. 

"Stenson  looked  through  the  room,  which  was  very 
brilliantly  lighted.  He  fixed  his  eyes  upon  Christian, 
who  repressed  every  sign  of  emotion,  so  as  to  avoid  at- 
tracting his  attention  in  any  way,  and  who  even  pretended 
not  to  see  him,  although  he  was  burning  to  throw  him- 
self into  his  arms. 

"Well !  "  said  M.  Goefle  to  the  old  man,  "  what  is  the 
matter,  Steuson  ?  Why  do  you  weep  ?  " 

"Because  I  fear  that  I  am  dreaming,"  said  Stenson, 
"  because  I  believed  I  was  dreaming  two  days  ago,  when 
I  saw  him  here  ;  because  I  do  not  know  him  any  longer, 
and  yet  I  recognize  him." 

"Remain  where  you  are,  M.  Stenson,"  said  the  min- 
ister to  the  old  man,  who  wanted  to  go  up  to  Christian  ; 
"  a  resemblance,  however  striking,  is  not  a  sure  indi- 
cation, for  it  may  be  the  result  of  chance.  The  facts 
advanced  by  you  in  the  document  that  has  just  been  read 
must  be  established." 

'•  That  can  easily  be  done,"  said  Stenson.  "  M.  Goefle 
has  only  to  read  the  paper  which  I  confided  to  him  yes- 
terday. The  identity  between  Christian  Goifredi  and 
Christian  de  Waldemora  can  then  be  established  by 
means  of  the  letters  from  Manasses,  which  I  also  placed 
in  his  hands  this  very  day." 

"I  took  a  solemn  oath,"  said  M.  Goefle,  "not  to  open 
this  paper  until  after  the  baron's  death.  •  I  opened  it  two 
hours  ago,  and  these  are  the  few  words  that  it  contains  : 

"'Examine  the  wall  behind  the  portrait  of  Baroness 
Hilda,  at  Stollborg,  to  the  right  of  the  window  of  the 
bear-room.' 

"Ah  !  ah  !  "  whispered  the  major  to  M.  Goefle,  while 
the  minister  caused  the  portrait  to  be  taken  down,  arid 
proceeded,  under  Stenson's  direction,  to  open  the  secret 
aperture  behind  it ;  "I  had  supposed  that  the  proof  would 
be  found  in  the  walled-up  room." 


524 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


"No,  God  be  praised  !  "  replied  the  lawyer,  in  the  same 
tone  ;  "for  it  would  have  been  seen,  in  that  case,  that  we 
had  been  there  beforehand,  and  we  might  have  been  ac- 
cused of  having  placed  false  proofs  there  ourselves.  Now, 
thanks  to  the  great  maps  that  have  been  put  back  into 
their  places,  no  one  here  has  heeded  or  remarked  the 
breach  in  the  wall.  It  was  because  I  looked  into  Sten- 
son's  mysterious  warning  at  the  new  chateau,  that  I  ad- 
vised you  to  bring  a  great  many  witnesses  here  without 
fear." 

When  the  hiding-place  had  been  opened,  the  minister 
took  out,  with  his  own  hands,  a  metal  casket,  in  which 
was  found  a  decisive  document,  which  he  read  aloud. 

This  document  had  been  written  by  the  Baroness  Hilda, 
and  was  a  clear  and  detailed  account  of  the  sad  days  that 
she  had  passed  at  Stollborg  in  the  custody  of  the  odious 
Johan,  and  of  the  persecutions  that  she  had  undergone, 
together  with  her  faithful  friends  and  servants,  Adam 
Stenson  and  Karine  Bcetsoi. 

The  unhappy  widow  declared,  and  took  her  oath  "  upon 
her  eternal  salvation,  and  upon  the  soul  of  her  husband 
and  of  her  first  child,  both  of  them  assassinated  by  the 
order  of  a  man  whom  she  did  not  wish  to  name,  but 
whose  crimes  would  some  day  be  known,"  that  she  had 
given  birth  to  a  second  son,  fruit  of  her  legitimate  union 
with  the  Baron  Adelstan  de  Waldemora,  on  the  eighteenth 
of  September,  1746,  at  two  o'clock  in  the  morning,  in  the 
bear-room,  at  Stollborg.  She  related,  in  a  manner  at  the 
same  time  modest  and  dramatic,  with  what  courage  she 
had  repressed  her  cries,  so  that  the  suspicions  of  the  jail- 
ers, who  were  installed  close  by  her  in  the  chamber  called 
the  guard-room,  should  not  be  aroused.  Karine  had  as- 
sisted her  in  her  time  of  trial,  and  had  sung  constantly, 
to  keep  the  feeble  wailing  of  the  new-born  infant  from 
being  heard.  Stenson  did  not  quit  the  room  during  the 
birth  of  the  child,  and  immediately  afterwards  he  had 
tried  to  carry  it  off  by  the  secret  door,  but  the  existence 
of  this  door  had  become  known  to  the  jailers,  and,  to  his 
dismay,  he  had  found  it  fastened  on  the  outside,  and 
guarded.  On  the  failure  of  his  first  attempt,  Stenson 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


525 


made  some  excuse  for  going  out  —  it  was  not  thought 
necessary  to  keep  him  a  prisoner,  but  he  was  always 
strictly  searched  whenever  he  left  the  tower  —  and  went 
in  search  of  a  boat,  which,  under  cover  of  the  darkness, 
he  succeeded  in  introducing  into  the  passages  between  the 
rocks  and  boulders  of  the  lake,  when  Karine,  who  had 
prepared  a  basket  and  cord  for  the  purpose,  let  down  the 
child  to  him  from  the  window.  All  this  took  some  time, 
and  day  was  beginning  to  appear.  The  window  of  the 
guard-room  opened  at  the  very  moment  when  Stcnson  re- 
ceived the  child  into  his  trembling  hands.  Fortunately 
he  was  protected  by  the  vault  of  overhanging  rocks,  and 
had  been  able  to  keep  hidden  until  the  men  above  with- 
drew, whereupon,  with  many  prayers  to  God,  he  had 
crossed  the  short  space  between  the  lake  and  the  shore 
behind  the  gaard. 

The  romance  that  Christian  had  imagined,  on  explor- 
ing this  strange  site,  had  therefore  reproduced,  in  some 
respects,  the  facts  of  his  own  history. 

The  child  had  been  confided  to  Anna  Bcetsoi,  the  mother 
of  Karine  and  Danneman  Joe.  It  had  been  suckled  by  a 
tame  doe  in  one  of  the  chalets  of  Blaakdal,  and  every 
now  and  then  the  imprisoned  baroness  received  informa- 
tion about  it  by  means  of  signal  fires  lighted  on  the 
mountains. 

Reassured  as  to  the  fate  of  her  child,  the  baroness  hoped 
to  join  him  and  fly  into  Denmark  ;  but  the  baron  refused 
to  restore  her  to  liberty,  unless  she  would  consent  to  sign 
a  declaration  that  her  pregnancy  had  been  simulated. 
This  she  refused  to  do,  saying  that  she  was  willing  to  ad- 
mit having  fallen  into  an  error,  but  not  to  accuse  herself 
of  imposture  ;  whereupon  he  began  to  seem  strangely  sus- 
picious of  the  event  which  she  had  it  so  much  at  heart  to 
conceal.  Then,  trembling  lest  the  birth  and  retreat  of 
her  child  should  be  discovered,  and  he  destroyed,  she  had 
signed  the  document  drawn  up  by  Pastor  Mickelson. 

"But,  before  God  and  man,"  she  said,  in  this  new  dec- 
laration, "  I  protest  here  against  my  own  signature,  and 
take  my  oath  that  it  was  extorted  from  me  by  violence 
and  terror.  If,  under  these  circumstances,  I  denied  the 


526 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


truth  for  the  first  time  in  my  life,  all  mothers  will  under- 
stand my  fault,  and  God  will  pardon  me." 

Once  in  possession  of  this  terrible  declaration,  the  baron, 
fearing,  perhaps,  arecantation,  or  the  exposure  of  his  crimes, 
formally  refused  to  restore  his  victim  to  freedom,  declar- 
ing that  she  was  mad,  and  doing  his  best  to  make  her  so, 
by  a  system  of  harsh  captivity,  privations,  insults  and  in- 
timidations. Some  peasants  who  were  courageous  enough 
to  express  a  sympathy  for  her,  and  to  try  and  set  her  free, 
he  had  beaten  after  the  Russian  fashion,  in  the  guard-room, 
where  she  could  hear  their  cries.  Stenson  and  Karine  he 
threatened  with  the  same  treatment  if  they  continued  to 
urge  that  the  baroness  should  be  set  at  liberty,  and  these 
faithful  friends  had  been  obliged  to  feign  compliance  with 
his  wishes,  so  as  not  to  be  separated  from  their  unfortu- 
nate mistress. 

At  last,  suffering  and  grief  did  their  work  upon  the  poor 
victim.  She  sank  into  a  rapid  decline,  and,  feeling  that 
she  was  soon  to  die,  she  wrote  out  for  her  son  this  account 
of  her  sorrows  ;  wherein,  however,  she  implored  him  never 
to  seek  revenge,  in  case  circumstances  impossible  to  fore- 
see should  make  him  acquainted  with  the  mystery  of  his 
birth  before  the  baron's  deattt.  She  was  convinced  that 
this  implacable,  rich,  and  powerful  man  would  pursue  her 
son,  if  he  knew  of  his  existence,  in  whatever  corner  of 
the  earth  he  might  be  hidden.  She  prayed,  therefore, 
that  he  might  live  a  long  time  "  in  a  humble  station,  in 
ignorance  of  his  rights,  and  that  he  might  rather  love  the 
arts  or  sciences  than  be  ambitious  of  wealth  and  power, 
source  of  so  many  evils,  and  of  such  cruel  passions,  on  the 
earth."  The  poor  mother'  added,  notwithstanding,  in  an- 
ticipation of  a  future  discovery,  that  her  son,  to  whom  she 
had  given  the  name  Adelstan-Christian,  had,  at  his  birth, 
black  hair,  and  "  fingers  made  like  those  of  his  father  and 
his  ancestors."  Finally  «he  gave  him  her  supreme  ben- 
ediction, and  enjoined  upon  him  to  believe  implicitly,  and 
to  regard  as  sacred,  all  the  statements  of  Stenson  and 
Karine  —  the  witnesses  of  the  sufferings  of  her  captivity, 
and  of  the  constant  and  unalterable  lucidity  of  her  mind, 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


527 


in  spite  of  the  calumnious  reports  that  had  been  spread 
abroad  as  to  her  pretended  state  of  madness  and  fury. 

"  My  soul  is  calm,"  she  said,  at  the  approach  of  death. 
"  I  am  prepared  to  depart,  full  of  resignation,  of  hope,  and 
confidence,  to  a  better  world.  I  pardon  my  executioners, 
and  I  have  only  one  regret  in  leaving  this  sad  life — that 
of  abandoning  my  son  ;  but  the  unexpected  success  of 
his  flight  has  taught  me  to  rely  upon  Providence,  and  the 
devoted  friendship  of  those  who  have  saved  him." 

The  signature  was  large  and  firm,  as  if  a  last  effort  of 
life  had  warmed  the  heart  .of  the  poor  dying  woman  at 
this  supreme  hour.  .It  was  dated,  "  This  15th  of  Decem- 
ber, 1746." 

Besides  the  declaration  of  the  baroness,  the  casket  con- 
tained a  sort  of  formal  report,  drawn  up  by  Stenson,  of  the 
last  moments  and  death  of  his  unfortunate  mistress.  This 
report,  which  the  minister  also  read,  was  dated  the  twenty- 
eighth  of  December  of  the  same  year,  and  was  as  follows  : 

"  They  deprived  her  of  sleep  up  to  her  last  hour. 
Johan  and  his  gang,  who  occupied  the  guard-room,  kept 
on  night  and  day  swearing,  yelling,  and  blaspheming  in 
her  very  ears,  and  the  baron,  her  brother-in-law,  came 
every  day,  under  the  pretend  of  seeing  that  she  was  well- 
treated,  to  tell  her  that  she  was  mad,  and  overwhelm  her 
with  insults  and  reproaches,  because  of  the  pretended 
plot  which  he  had  defeated.  The  only  plot  —  and  with 
the  help  of  God  it  succeeded !  —  was,  by  patience  and 
silence,  to  persuade  this  persecutor  that  madame  had 
really  been  mistaken  about  her  condition,  and  that  he  had 
nothing  to  fear  in  the  future. 

"  Upon  his  side,  Pastor  Mickelson,  not  less  cruel  and 
importunate,  came  even  to  madame's  death-bed  to  tell 
her  that,  having  lived  in  a  land  of  papists,  she  was  im- 
bued with  false  doctrines,  and  to  threaten  her  a  hundred 
times  with  hell,  instead  of  giving  her  the  consolations 
and  hopes  to  which  every  Christian  soul  has  a  right. 

"  At  last  he  went  out,  only  an  hour  before  she  breathed 
her  last,  and  she  expired  in  our  arms,  on  the  fourth  day 
of  the  Christmas  holidays,  at  four  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
with  these  words  upon  her  lips  : 


528  THE  SNOW  MAN. 

" '  My  God  !  bestow  a  mother  upon  my  son  !  "' 

"We  testify  that  she  died  like  a  saint,  without  having 
had  a  single  moment  of  anger,  of  delirium,  or  even  of 
religious  doubt. 

"After  closing  her  eyes,  we  stopped  the  clock,  and  blew 
out  the  Christmas  candle  which  was  burning.in  the  chan- 
delier, with  the  prayer  to  God  that  we  might  see  this 
clock  set  in  motion,  and  the  candle  lighted,  by  the  hand  of 
our  future  young  master. 

"  After  which,  we  have  drawn  up  this  writing  which 
we  are  going  to  hide  and  seal  up,  together  with  that  of 
our  well-beloved  mistress,  in  the  wall  of  her  chamber,  in 
the  place  which  she  herself  indicated,  all  things  being 
prepared  to  that  end. 

"  And,  with  many  tears,  we  both  of  us  sign  our  names, 
swearing  that  we  have  certified  only  to  the  exact  truth. 

"ADAM  STENSON, 
"KARIKE  BCETSOI." 

The  pastor  read  these  simple  pages  with  so  much  feel- 
ing and  pathos,  that  the  women  wept,  and  the  men, 
touched  and  convinced,  gave  three  cheers  for  Christian 
de  Waldemora,  and  crowded'around  him,  eager  to  shake 
hands  with  him  and  to  offer  him  their  congratulations. 
The  heirs,  however  (from  this  malignant  set  the  old  Count 
de  Nora  and  his  son  must  always  be  excepted),  declared 
that  they  should  require  the  appearance  of  Karine  Boetsoi ; 
having  gathered,  probably,  from  the  reports  in  circulation 
about  her,  that  this  woman  was  still  alive,  and  was  mad. 
They  hoped  that  they  could  object  to  her  as  a  witness  ; 
and  the  major  also  dreaded  exceedingly  the  effect  of  her 
appearance,  and  hastened  to  say  that  she  was  ill,  and  lived 
at  a  considerable  distance.  He  was  interrupted  by  a  rough, 
although  kindly  voice  :  that  of  Danneman  Joe  Boetsoi. 

"  Why  do  you  say  what  is  not  so,  Monsieur  Major?  " 
cried  the  honest  man.  "  Karine  Boetsoi  is  neither  so  ill 
nor  so  far  away  as  you  suppose.  She  has  had  her  sleep 
here,  arid  now  that  she  has  rested,  her  mind  is  as  clear  as 
your  own.  Do  uot  be  afraid  to  call  Kariue  Boetsoi.  It  is 
true  that  the  poor  soul  has  suffered,  above  all  since  the  day 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


529 


when  she  had  to  be  separated  from  the  child,  and  that  she 
says  things  that  cannot  be  understood  ;  but,  for  all  that, 
her  head  is  good  and  her  will  firm.  What  proves  it  is, 
that  nobody  has  been  able  to  find  out  her  secret,  not  even 
myself,  who  knew  the  child,  and  who  have  just  learned 
his  name  and  history  for  the  first  time  in  my  life.  Now, 
a  woman  who  can  keep  a  secret  is  not  like  an  ordinary 
woman,  and  what  she  says  ought  to  be  believed." 

Rising,  he  went  to  the  door  of  the  guard-room,  and 
threw  it  open. 

"  Come,  my  sister  !  "  he  said  to  the  seeress  ;  "  you  are 
wanted  here." 

Every  one  bent  forward  with  eager  curiosity  as  Karine 
entered.  Her  pallor,  her  precocious  old  age,  her  look  of 
amazement,  and  uncertain,  faltering  step,  caused,  at  first, 
more  pity  than  sympathy.  However,  in  the  sight  of 
them  all,  she  drew  herself  up  erect,  and  stood  firm.  Her 
face  assumed  an  expression  of  enthusiasm  and  energy. 
She  had  taken  off  the  poor  gray  dress,  that  precious  rag 
in  which  she  never  allowed  herself  to  sleep,  from  over 
her  peasant's  dress,  and  her  hair,  white  as  snow,  was 
drawn  from  her  face  and  tied  with  red  woollen  cords,  giv- 
ing her  somewhat  the  appearance  of  an  ancient  sibyl. 

She  went  up  to  the  pastor,  and  without  waiting  to  be 
questioned,  said : 

"  Father  and  friend  of  the  afflicted,  you  know  Karine 
Boetsoi ;  you  know  that  her  soul  is  neither  guilty  nor  de- 
ceitful. She  asks  you  why  the  belfry-bell  of  the  new 
chateau  is  tolling  ;  what  you  say  she  will  believe." 

"The  belfry-bell  is  tolling  for  the  dead,"  replied  the 
minister  ;  "  your  ears  have  not  deceived  you.  For  a  long 
time,  Karine,  I  have  known  that  you  have  a  secret  which 
oppresses  you.  You  can  speak  now,  and  perhaps  you  can 
be  cured.  Baron  Olaus  is  dead  !  " 

"I  know  it,"  she  said  ;  "  the  great  iarl  appeared  to  me 
last  night.  He  said  :  '  I  am  going  away  forever, '  and  I  felt 
my  soul  reborn.  Now  I  will  speak,  because  the  child  of 
the  lake  is  going  to  return.  I  saw  him,  also,  in  my  dream." 

"Do  not  talk  about  your  dreams,  Karine,"  rejoined  the 
minister,  "  but  try  and  recall  what  has  really  happened, 
34 


530 


THE  SNO  W  MAN. 


If  you  wish  to  recover  reason  and  tranquillity  of  soul, 
by  the  grace  of  the  Lord,  make  an  effort  yourself  to  be 
humble  and  submissive  ;  for  I  have  often  told  you  that 
pride  had  a  great  deal  to  do  with  your  madness :  you 
pretend  to  read  in  the  future,  when  you  are  not  able,  per- 
haps, to  relate  the  past." 

Karine  remained  abashed  and  thoughtful  for  an  instant, 
and  then  answered : 

"If  the  good  pastor  of  Waldemora,  as  kind  and  as  hu- 
mane as  he  who  preceded  him  was  ferocious  and  cruel, 
orders  me  to  tell  the  past,  I  will  tell  the  past." 

"  I  both  command  you  and  entreat  you  to  do  so,"  said 
the  pastor ;  "  speak  calmly,  and  remember  that  God 
weighs  each  one  of  your  words." 

Karine  collected  her  thoughts,  and  said : 

"  We  are  in  the  room  where  our  well-beloved  mistress 
fell  asleep  forever." 

"  Do  you  mean  Hilda  de  Waldemora?" 

"  Yes ;  she  is  the  widow  of  the  good  young  iarl,  and 
the  mother  of  the  child  named  Christian,  who  ought  now 
to  return  to  light  the  Christmas  candle  on  the  hearth  of 
his  fathers.  She  gave  birth  to  this  child  in  the  full  of 
the  moon  of  Hcest,*  here,  in  this  bed,  where  she  died  in 
the  last  days  of  the  moon  of  Jul.  She  gave  him  her 
blessing  here,  by  this  window,  out  of  which  he  flew 
away,  for  he  was  born  with  wings  !  And  then  she  told  a  lie, 
saying  in  her  heart :  '  God  pardon  me  for  killing  my  son 
by  my  word  !  But  ft  is  better  for  him  to  live  among  the 
clfs  than  among  men.'  Then  she  sang  to  her  harp,  and 
when  she  died,  she  said :  '  May  God  bestow  a  mother 
upon  my  son  ! ' ' 

Brought  back,  in  a  measure,  to  a  perception  of  real 
things,  Kariue  began  to  weep ;  then  her  mind  became 
confused,  and  the  minister,  seeing  that  she  could  no  lon- 
ger understand  the  questions  that  were  addressed  to  her, 
made  a  sign  to  the  danneman,  who  quietly  led  the  poor 
seeress  away,  after  glancing  in  triumph  at  the  company, 
as  if  to  challenge  their  admiration  of  the  manner  in  which 
his  sister  had  answered. 

*  Haeft,  September ;  Jul,  December. 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


53 1 


"What  would  you  have  more?"  said  M.  Goefle,  glanc- 
ing around  him.  "  Has  not  this  poor  enthusiast  told  you, 
in  a  few  words  of  her  rustic  poetry,  precisely  the  same 
things  that  Stenson  has  written  in  this  document,  with  the 
methodical  clearness  of  his  mind  ?  And  is  not  her  very 
frenzy  —  the  sort  of  continual  delirium  in  which  she 
lives  —  a  proof  of  what  she  has  suffered  for  those  she  so 
dearly  loved  ?  " 

The  opportunity  for  pleading  was  too  fine  to  be  lost ; 
M.  Goefle  could  not  help  taking  advantage  of  it.  He 
spoke  with  inspiration,  summed  up  the  facts  of  the  case 
rapidly,  related  portions  of  Christian's  life,  after  having 
established  his  identity  by  means  of  Manasses'  letters  to 
Stenson,  explained  the  romantic  circumstances  of  the  last 
two  days,  and  indeed  succeeded  so  well  in  convincing  his 
auditors,  that  they  forgot  all  about  the  lateness  of  the 
hour  and  their  own  fatigue,  and  asked  him  question  after 
question,  so  as  to  keep  him  talking.  Finally,  they  all 
signed  an  official  report  of  the  proceedings.' 

The  Baron  de  Lindenwald  made  a  last  effort  to  revive 
the  drooping  courage  of  the  other  heirs. 

"  No  matter,"  he  said,  rising,  for  the  doors  were  open, 
and  any  one  was  free  to  withdraw,  "  we  shall  find  out 
the  truth  of  all  these  ridiculous  fictions :  we  will  go  to 
law !  " 

"  I  suppose  so,"  replied  M.  Goefle,  with  great  anima- 
tion ;  "  but  we  shall  await  you  on  firm  ground." 

"  For  my  part,  I  shall  not  go  to  law,"  said  the  Count 
de  Nora ;  "I  am  convinced,  and  I  shall  sign." 

"  These  gentlemen  will  not  go  to  law  either,"  said  the 
ambassador,  pointedly. 

"Oh,  yes  they  will,"  rejoined  M.  Goefle,  "but  they 
will  lose." 

"We  will  attack  the  validity  of  the  marriage,"  cried 
the  baron  ;  "Hilda  de  Blixen  was  a  Catholic." 

Christian  was  going  to  reply  angrily,  when  M.  Goefle 
hastened  to  interrupt  him  : 

"How  do  you  know  that,  monsieur?"  he  said  to  the 
baron.  "Where  are  your  proofs?  Where  is  this  pre- 
tended chapel  to  the  Virgin  which  she  is  said  to  have 


532 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


erected?  Now  that  the  mysteries  of  Stollborg  are  dis- 
closed to  all,  what  evidence  remains  of  this  ridiculous 
fable,  which  served  as  a  pretext  to  several  persons  here 
present  for  abandoning  that  unhappy  woman  to  persecu- 
tion and  to  death  ?  " 

"  This  Christian  Goffredi  may  be  a  Catholic  also  ;  he 
was  brought  up  in  Italy  !  "  muttered  the  heirs,  as  they 
withdrew.  "Patience  !  we  will  know  the  truth  of  it,  and 
will  see  whether  a  man  who  cannot  have  a  seat  in  the 
Diet,  nor  be  appointed  to  any  office,  is  to  inherit  a  domain 
entitling  him  to  all  the  privileges  of  the  nobility." 

"  Be  quiet,  Christian,  hold  your  tongue !  "  said  1V1» 
Goefle,  in  a  low  voice,  holding  Christian  back  with  all 
his  force,  as  the  latter  started  up  to  follow  his  adversaries 
out  and  defy  them  to  their  faces.  "Remain  where  you 
are,  or  all  is  lost.  Be  a  dissenter,  if  you  choose,  when 
you  have  inherited  ;  but,  for  the  present,  keep  quiet  about 
it.  No  one  has  remarked  that  the  bear-room  has  become 
square  again." 

"What  do  you  mean?"  inquired  the  major  of  M. 
Goefle.  "  Why  should  we  hesitate  to  admit  every  one 
i'reely  into  the  upper  room,  since  the  pretended  chapel 
does  not  exist?" 

"  We  could  do  so,"  replied  M.  Goefle,  "  if  we  had  not 
already  broken  into  it.  As  it  is,  they  would  accuse  us  of 
having  removed  the  evidences  of  the  prohibited  worship." 

Countess  Elveda  now  approached  Christian,  and  said 
to  him,  with  her  most  gracious  air  : 

"  At  present,  baron,  I  sincerely  trust  that  I  shall  have 
'the  pleasure  of  seeing  you  in  Stockholm  —  " 

"Will  you  still  consent  to  receive  me,"  he  replied, 
"only  on  condition  that  I  am  to  start  for  Russia?" 

"  No,"  she  said,  "  I  leave  you  free  to  select  her  to 
whom  you  have  given  your  heart." 

"  Will  Countess  Margaret  accompany  you  to  Stock- 
holm? "  said  Christian,  in  a  low  voice. 

"  She  may  join  me,  perhaps,  when  you  have  gained 
your  lawsuit,  if  lawsuit  there  is  to  be.  In  the  mean- 
While,  she  must  return  to  her  chateau.  It  is  all  settled, 
and  prudence  requires  it.  For  my  part,  I  hold  to  my 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


533 


promise,  and  am  still  ready  to  carry  you  to  Stockholm, 
where  you  will  be  obliged  to  go  to  have  your  affairs  set- 
tled." 

"  I  thank  you,  madame  ;  but  I  am  entirely  under  the 
control  of  my  lawyer,  who  has  further  use  for  me  here." 

"  Au  revoir,  then  ! "  replied  the  countess,  taking  the  arm 
of  the  ambassador,  who  said  to  her,  as  they  went  out : 

"  I  am  quite  as  well  pleased  to  have  that  handsome 
young  baron  decline  travelling  with  you  !  " 

Margaret  bade  adieu  to  her  aunt  at  the  door  of  Stoll- 
borg,  .and  started  with  her  governess  and  the  Akerstrom 
*family  for  the  parsonage,  where  she  was  to  take  some 
rest  before  returning  to  Dalby.  She  did  not  exchange  a 
word,  or  even  a  glance,  with  Christian,  but  it  was  'none 
the  less  tacitly  understood  between  them  that  she  was  not 
to  leave  the  neighborhood  until  they  had  seen  each  other 
again. 

The  major  returned,  with  his  soldiers  and  his  prisoners, 
to  the  new  chateau,  where  he  was  to  await  the  receipt  of 
orders  as  to  whether  he  was  to  continue  the  exercise  of 
his  authority.  The  danneman  and  his  family  returned 
to  their  mountain,  Karine,  to  the  last,  being  unable  to 
comprehend  that  she  beheld  in  Christian  the  child  of  the 
lake.  Her  mind  could  not  so  readily  be  brought  back, 
from  the  fantasies  in  which  she  lived,  to  a  perception  of 
real  things.  And  indeed,  even  in  after  years,  although 
her  condition  was  very  much  ameliorated,  although  she 
felt  instinctively  that  she  was  freed  from  a  great  trouble, 
she  never,  while  she  lived,  really  succeeded  in  identifying 
Christian,  and  she  very  often  confounded  him  with  his 
father,  the  young  Baron  Adelstan. 

It  was  four  o'clock  in  the  morning ;  and  though  it  was 
the  custom  of  the  country  to  go  to  bed  very  late,  at  a 
time  of  the  year  when  the  nights  are  so  long,  the  prin- 
cipal persons  of  our  story  had  passed  through  such  a  series 
of  vehement  emotions,  that  they  were  all  overwhelmed 
with  fatigue.  They  all  retired,  therefore,  and  slept  pro- 
foundly, being  more  fortunate  in  this,  probably,  than  Joluui 
and  his  gang,  shut  up  in  the  tower  of  the  new  chateau, 
where  they  had  imprisoned  and  tortured  so  many  people. 


534 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


However,  before  daybreak,  Stenson  glided  softly  to 
Christian's  bedside,  and  after  gazing  upon  him  with  rap- 
ture for  a  few  seconds,  he  waked  him,  without  arousing 
M.  Goefle. 

"  Rise,  my  master  !  "  he  whispered  in  his  ear,  "  I  have 
something  to  say  to  you  which  must  be  heard  by  your- 
self alone  !  I  will  await  you  in  the  inner  room." 

Christian  dressed  himself  quickly  and  silently,  and 
closing  the  doors  behind  him,  followed  Stenson  into  the 
deserted  and  dilapidated  apartment  into  which  he  had 
penetrated  on  the  previous  evening.  The  old  man  un- 
covered his  head  with  reverence. 

"  Here,  Monsieur  Baron,"  he  said,  "  behind  this  wains- 
cot, where  you  see  a  dove  carved  in  marble,  a  mystery  is 
hidden,  that  ought  to  be  revealed  to  you  alone.  Here  it 
is  that  your  mother  had  secretly  erected  an  altar  to  the 
Virgin ;  for  she  was  a  Catholic,  the  fact  is  too  certain. 
The  exercise  of  her  worship  being  forbidden  in  her  hus- 
band's country,  madame  was  obliged  to  conceal  her  faith, 
so  as  not  to  draw  down  persecution  upon  his  head. 

"Pastor  Mickelson  could  never  prove  this.  The  altar 
was  brought  and  placed  in  this  hiding-place  by  Italian 
workmen,  travelling  through  the  country,  who  had  ex- 
ecuted other  commissions  in  marble,  and  in  wood,  at  the 
new  chateau.  I  was  the  only  person  in  her  confidence. 
There  was  a  learned  old  Frenchman  among  the  retainers 
of  the  chateau,  who  was  a  Catholic  priest,  unknown  to 
every  one,  and  who  said  mass  here  secretly ;  but  he  had 
died,  and  the  Italian  workmen  had  departed  at  the  time 
of  the  persecution  of  your  poor  mother.  You  must  see 
this  altar,  Monsieur  Baron,  and,  whatever  may  be  your 
own  religion,  you  must  regard  it  with  respect.  Help  me 
to  move  the  spring  in  the  wainscot,  which  is  probably 
very  rusty." 

"  You  mean  that  your  poor  arms  are  swollen  and  ach- 
ing," said  Christian,  kissing  the  old  man's  tortured  hands. 

"  Ah  !  do  not  pity,  me,"  said  Stenson,  "  my  hands  will 
get  well ;  I  do  not  feel  them,  all  that  I  have  suffered  is 
as  nothing  in  comparison  with  my  present  happiness." 

Christian  opened  the  wainscot  as  Stenson  directed,  and 


TUB  SNOW  MAN. 


535 


after  draAving  a  curtain  of  gilt  leather,  he  saw  a  white 
marble  altar,  in  the  form  of  a  sarcophagus.  Stenson, 
who  was  deeply  agitated,  fell  upon  his  knees. 

"  Are  you  a  Catholic  also,  my  friend?"  Christian  asked. 

Stenson  shook  his  head  in  the  negative,  but  without 
seeming  offended  by  the  question.  Tears  rolled  slowly 
over  his  pallid  cheeks. 

"  Stenson  !  "  cried  Christian,  "  my  mother  reposes  here. 
This  altar  became  her  tomb  !  " 

"  Yes,"  said  the  old  man,  almost  suffocated  by  his  sobs  ; 
"here  it  is  that  Karine  and  I  buried  her,  in  her  white 
robe,  and  crowned  with  a  cypress  wreath,  for  it  was  not 
the  season  of  flowers.  We  laid  her  in  a  coffin  filled  with 
aromatics,  and  the  coffin  we  placed  in  this  sepulchre, 
stainless  as  that  of  Christ.  I  sealed  it  up  myself,  and 
afterwards  I  walled  up  the  room,  so  that  the  tomb  of  the 
victim  should  not  be  profaned.  Your  enemy  never  knew 
why  I  was  so  anxious  to  suppress  the  door.  He  thought 
I  was  afraid  of  ghosts.  When  the  minister  refused  to 
bury  a  pagan  with  religious  services,  and  in  sacred 
ground,  he  thought  I  obeyed  his  orders,  and  threw  the 
poor  body  into  the  bottom  of  the  lake  ;  but  whatever  Pas- 
tor Mickelson  may  have  said,  it  was  the  body  of  a  saint. 
Whatever  her  worship  may  have  been,  the  baroness  loved 
God,  did  good,  and  respected  the  faith  of  others.  She  is 
in  heaven,  and  prays  for  us  now,  and  her  soul  is  happy  in 
beholding  her  son  where  he  is,  and  such  as  he  is." 

"Ah!"  said  Christian,  "happiness  does  not  belong, 
then,  to  this  world,  for  I  should  have  made  her  happy, 
and  she  is  dead." 

He  kissed  the  tomb  with  respect  and  fervor,  and  hav- 
ing reinclosed  it  behind  the  curtain  and  the  panel  of  the 
wainscot,  he  went  down  with  Stenson  into  the  bear-room. 

"I  do  not  know,"  the  old  man  resumed,  "  how  much 
trouble  and  delay  there  may  be  before  your  rights  are 
acknowledged ;  but  I  hope  you  will  empower  me  to  re- 
store the  partition  before  this  chamber.  When  you  are 
master  here,  we  can  carry  the  tomb  to  the  chapel  in  the 
new  chateau." 

"  Place  my  mother's  tomb  by  that  of  Baron  Olaus !" 


536  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

cried  Christian.  "  Oh  no,  never  !  Since  Sweden  refused 
her  a  plot  of  ground  to  cover  her  bones,  after  having  re- 
fused her  air  and  liberty,  I  will  carry  off  these  precious 
remains,  and  deposit  them  under  a  more  clement  sky. 
Whether  rich  or  poor,  I  will  procure  enough  to  bear  this 
relic  with  me  to  the  shore  of  the  Italian  lake,  where 
sleeps  my  second  mother  ;  she  who  fulfilled  the  last  prayer 
of  her  who  gave  me  birth,  and  who,  although  herself 
most  unhappy,  had  at  least  a  sou  to  close  her  eyes." 

"  Act  with  calmness  and  prudence,"  replied  Stenson, 
"  or  your  rights  will  be  denied.  Some  day  you  will  be 
free  to  do  as  you  choose  ;  for  the  present,  do  not  allow 
even  your  best  friends,  even  the  worthy  M.  Goefle,  to 
know  that  your  mother  was  a  dissenter.  He  will  argue 
your  cause  Avith  more  hope  and  confidence,  believing  that 
she  was  not  so  ;  and  if  you  yourself  are  a  dissenter,  do 
not  acknowledge  it,  or  you  will  not  be  able  to  triumph 
over  your  enemies." 

"Alas!"  said  Christian,  "are  riches  worth  the  trou- 
ble I  must  take  to  acquire  them?  can  they  repay  me  for 
practising  dissimulation  and  repressing  my  just  indigna- 
tion, as  I  am  urged  and  forced  to  do?  I  had  nothing, 
Stenson,  not  even  an  obole,  when  I  came  here  three  days 
ago,  but  my  heart  was  light,  my  mind  was  free  !  I  felt 
no  hatred  to  any  human  being,  no  one  hated  me,  and 
now  —  " 

"  And  now  you  will  be  less  free  and  less  happy,  I 
know,"  replied  the  sweet  and  austere  old  man,  gravely  ; 
"  but  you  will  have  power  to  comfort  and  console  the  poor 
and  suffering.  Think  of  that,  and  it  will  give  you  strength 
to  struggle  for  your  rights." 

"Well  said,  my  dear  Stenson!"  cried  M.  Goefle,  who 
had  just  risen,  and  who  heard  the  last  words  of  the  pious 
old  retainer.  "  Whoever  meets  as  he  ought  the  duties 
and  responsibilities  which  life  imposes,  rivets  chains  upon 
his  feet,  and  insures  for  himself  many  bitter  hours.  It  re- 
mains to  be  seen  whether  the  man  who,  in  the  glory  of 
his  youth  and  strength,  finds  himself  confronted  with  a 
plain  duty,  and  who  turns  away  to  escape  from  it,  can 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


537 


still  be  happy  in  heedless  indifference,  and  can  venture  to 
claim  that  he  is  contented  with  himself." 

"  You  are  right,  my  friend,"  said  Christian  ;  "  do  what 
you  choose  with  me.  I  promise  to  be  guided  by  your  ad- 
vice." 

"  And  then,"  added  M.  Goefle,  lowering  his  voice, 
"  our  sweet  Margaret  ought,  I  think,  to  be  a  sufficient 
compensation  for  enduring  the  life  of  a  grand  seigneur !  " 

It.  was  decided  by  M.  Goefle  that  Christian  should 
leave  Waldemora,  where  he  could  exert  no  authority  until 
his  inheritance  should  be  secured  to  him  by  the  decision 
of  the  special  committee  of  the  Diet,  a  mysterious,  special, 
and  privileged  tribunal,  which  claimed  the  right  of  re- 
moving suits  pending  in  ordinary  courts,  especially  those 
in  which  the  nobility  were  interested.  It  was  necessary 
for  Christian  to  accompany  his  lawyer  to  Stockholm,  so 
as  to  demand  and  solicit  a  decision. 

Before  bidding  farewell  to  Stollborg,  both  of  them, 
however,  went  to  the  parsonage,  where  Christian,  after 
thanking  Minister  Akerstrom  respectfully  and  affection- 
ately, appointed  him  guardian  of  his  estates,  in  so  far  as 
it  depended  upon  him,  and  in  the  very  just  anticipation 
that  his  choice  would  be  ratified  by  the  house  of  nobles. 
He  had  no  opportunity  of  being  alone  with  Margaret; 
and  even  if  he  could  have  spoken  to  her  freely,  he  would 
not  have  wished  to  draw  her  into  an  engagement  until 
he  was  sure  that  he  would  not  become  Christian  Waldo 
again.  But  Margaret  felt  no  doubt  either  of  his  inten- 
tions or  his  success,  and  returned  to  her  retreat  with  her 
heart  full  of  the  blissful  hopes  of  youth,  and  the  faith  of  a 
first  love. 

Christian  refused  to  go  and  breakfast  at  the  new  cha- 
teau with  the  major  and  his  friends.  They  understood 
his  repugnance,  and  dined  with  M.  Goefle  and  the  young 
baron  in  Stenson's  gaard.  In  the  evening  they  were  all 
invited  to  supper  at  the  parsonage.  Margaret  was  not  to 
start  until  the  next  day.  On  the  following  day  Chris- 
tian also  took  his  departure  with  M.  Goefle,  who  amused 
himself  by  driving  Loki,  to  the  great  satisfaction  of  Nils, 


533 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


who  slept  soundly  during  the  whole  journey,  never  wak- 
ing up  at  all,  except  to  eat. 

After  passing  two  weeks  at  Stockholm,  where  Christian 
conducted  himself  with  great  prudence,  reserve,  and  dig- 
nity, M.  Goefle,  who  was  very  impatient  to  return  to 
Gevala,  invited  him  to  go  there,  while  awaiting  the  deci- 
sion of  the  supreme  court,  especially  as  there  was  every 
reason  to  believe  that  there  would  be  a  great  deal  of  delay 
in  the  matter,  since,  in  consequence  of  the  death  of  the 
king,  and  succession  of  Prince  Henry  (now  become  Gus- 
tavus  III.),  the  ruling  powers  were  unusually  busy  and 
preoccupied.  But  Christian,  foreseeing  that  he  would  be 
left  in  uncertainty  for  an  indefinite  period,  did  not  feel 
willing  to  live  at  M.  Goefle's  expense  during  all  this  time, 
and  resolved  to  carry  out  his  plan  of  taking  a  journey  with 
Danneman  Boetsoi  into  the  savage  and  frozen  regions  in 
the  northern  part  of  Norway.  Equally  unwilling  to  be  a 
burden  to  the  brave  peasant,  he  accepted  from  M.  Goefle 
a  very  moderate  advance  upon  his  inheritance,  or  upon 
his  future  labor ;  and,  after  embracing  his  friends  at 
Waldemora  and  at  Stollborg,  he  set  off  with  Boetsoi, 
once  more  leaving  his  dear  Jean  under  the  charge  of 
Stenson. 

CONCLUSION. 

/^HRISTIAN  had  abundance  of  leisure  to  travel.  In 
^-^  spite  of  all  the  precautions  taken  by  his  friends,  and 
notwithstanding  M.  Goefle's  incessant  exertions,  the  rec- 
ognition of  his  rights  was  so  vehemently  opposed  by  the 
caps,  the  party  to  which  the  Baron  de  Lindenwald  be- 
longed, that  a  moment  came  when  the  active  and  cour- 
ageous lawyer  regarded  the  cause  of  his  client  as  lost.  The 
Russian  ambassador,  who  at  first  had  been  favorable, 
turned  against  them,  no  one  knew  why,  and  Countess  El- 
veda  formed  other  projects  of  marriage  for  her  niece. 
M.  Goefle  appealed  in  person  to  the  young  king ;  but 
Gustavus  III.,  who  even  then  was  planning,  with  in- 
credible prudence,  the  grand  revolution  of  August,  1772, 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


539 


advised  patience,  without  giving  any  intimation  of  the 
hopes  which  he  himself  had  conceived.  In  fact  the  king, 
as  yet,  could  do  nothing. 

After  travelling  with  the  danneman  until  the  end  of 
February,  Christian  received  news  from  M.  Goefle  which 
decided  him  to  continue  alone  his  explorations  in  the  re- 
gions of  the  north.  M.  Goefle,  finding  that  Christian's 
enemies  were  very  powerful,  feared,  with  reason,  that  they 
would  seek  opportunities  of  quarrelling  with  him,  if  he 
should  appear  in  Stockholm.  He  knew  how  excitable 
Christian  was,  and  he  said  to  himself  that,  even  if  he 
shoiikl  kill  oce  or  two  of  his  opponents,  he  would  stand  a 
good  chance  of  being  killed  by  the  third.  There  were 
too  many  persons  whose  interest  it  was  to  irritate  him,  and 
draw  him  into  duels.  M.  Goefle  took  good  care  not  to 
explain  to  Christian  the  real  grounds  of  his  opinion,  but 
he  urged  him  not  to  count  upon  a  speedy  success,  and  ad- 
vised him  to  remain  away. 

At  the  same  time  he  sent  him  an  additional  sum,  which 
Christian  resolved  not  to  add  to  the  amount  of  the  debt 
which  he  had  already  incurred.  In  his  uncertain  position 
he  joined  a  crew  of  fishermen,  who  were  about  sailing  for 
the  LufFoden  Islands  ;  and,  in  the  beginning  of  April,  he 
wrote  to  M.  Goefle  as  follows  : 

"  Here  I  am  in  a  small,  straggling  village  of  Nordland, 
where  it  seems  to  me  that  I  have  entered  the  land  of 
Canaan,  although  the  chalet  of  Danneman  Bcetsoi  is  a 
Louvre  in  comparison  with  my  present  lodging,  and  his 
kakebroe  delicious  cake  by  the  side  of  the  bread  of  pure 
Avood  in  which  I  am  now  luxuriating.  You  will  guess 
from  this  that  I  have  been  through  a  great  deal  of  suf- 
fering, without  referring  to  our  fatigue  and  dangers.  But, 
on  the  other  hand,  I  have  seen  the  most  terrible  spectacles 
of  the  universe,  the  most  austere  and  sublime  scenes  of 
nature  :  sub-marine  gulfs,  into  which  ships  and<  whales  are 
drawn  like  autumn  leaves  in  a  current  of  wind ;  rivers 
which  never  freeze,  in  the  midst  of  ice  that  never  melts ; 
waterfalls  whose  roaring  can  be  heard  leagues  away ; 
precipices  upon  whose,  verge  the  reindeer  and  the  elk  grow 
dizzy  ;  snows  harder  than  the  marble  of  Paros  ;  men  as 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 

ugly  as  monkeys  —  angelic  souls  in  unclean  bodies,  a  hos- 
pitable people  dwelling  in  unheard-of  misery  —  a  patient, 
gentle  and  pious  people  living  in  eternal  conflict  with 
nature,  who  appears  to  them  under  her  most  formidable 
and  violent  aspect.  I  have  had  no  disappointments. 
Everything  that  I  have  seen  has  been  more  sublime,  or 
more  astonishing,  than  all  that  I  had  imagined. 
•  "  So,  then,  I  am  a  fortunate  traveller.  Add  that  my 
health  has  withstood  all  hardships,  and  that  my  purse  is 
so  well  filled  that  I  am  in  condition  to  pay  off  my  debt 
to  you,  and  still  have  money  of  my  own  ;  lastly,  that  I 
have  succeeded  in  studying  the  geological  formation  of  a 
long  chain  of  mountains,  from  which  I  bring  back  treas- 
ures —  in  the  way  of  rare  and  precious  specimens  — 
that  will  make  the  illustrious  Professor  Stangstadius  pine 
away  with  envy,  and  useful  observations  that  ought  to 
make  me  —  if  I  take  it  into  my  head  to  aspire  to  the 
honor,  and  exert  a  little  diplomacy  to  obtain  it  —  Knight 
of  the  Polar  Star. 

"  You  will  ask  me  how  I  have  grown  rich  so  fast.  By 
enduring  a  great  deal  of  fatigue  ;  by  running  the  risk,  a 
thousand  times,  of  being  drowned  or  of  breaking  my 
neck  ;  by  skating  along  the  verge  of  fearful  chasms,  on 
great  skates  which  I  have  learned  to  use  ;  by  catching  a 
great  many  fish  in  the  Norwegian  archipelago  ;  by  sell- 
ing my  cargo  on  the  spot,  and  very  cheap,  to  those  who 
have  a  genius  for  trade ;  and,  lastly,  by  exposing  myself 
to  the  danger  of  being  beaten  to  death  by  my  comrades 
for  my  pains.  However,  they  gave  up  this  fancy  when 
they  found  out  that  my  arm  was  ready  and  my  hand  heavy. 

"  Now  I  am  going  to  Bergen,  where  I  must  arrive 
before  the  thaw,  unless  I  want  to  be  shut  up  here  for  six 
weeks  by  whirlwinds  and  avalanches,  which  man  is  not 
strong  enough  to  conquer. 

"  Do  not  be  distressed,  O  best  of  men  and  of  friends  ! 
if  I  lose  my  suit.  I  shall  make  out  to  be  something,  and 
since  Margaret  is  poor  (as  long  as  I  am  well-born) ,  I  may 
win  her  yet.  And  then,  am  I  not  secure  of  your  friend- 
ship ?  I  only  ask  of  Heaven  to  enable  me  to  take  care  of 
my  dear  Stensou  in  his  feeble  old  age,  if  he  should  lose 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


541 


his  annuity,  and  be  driven  from  his  asylum  at  Stoll- 
borg." 

M.  Goefle  received  several  other  letters  of  the  same 
sort  during  the  following  summer  and  winter.  The  law- 
suit made  no  progress  ;  in  fact  there  was  no  suit,  in  any 
proper  sense  of  the  word.  The  presumptive  heirs  carried 
on  the  war  in  the  most  fatal  and  insidious  way,  by  inter- 
posing constant  obstacles,  preventing  or  delaying  the  de- 
cision of  the  committee. 

Christian,  in  the  meanwhile,  was  beginning  to  be  sati- 
ated with  danger,  fatigue,  and  hard  work.  He  did  not 
acknowledge  it  to  his  friend,  but  the  exuberance  of  his 
curiosity  was  satisfied.  His  heart,  which  had  been 
awakened  to  a  new  life  by  hopes  that  would  perhaps 
prove  deceitful,  often  claimed  the  happiness  of  which  he 
had  caught  a  glimpse.  His  heroic  resolutions,  and  the 
cheerful  energy  of  his  character,  were  fully  equal  to  the 
requirements  of  his  terrible  life,  as  he  called  it,  but  in 
silence,  in  the  secrecy  of  his  soul,  he  was  often  unhappy. 
The  time  had  come  when  the  bird,  according  to  Major 
Larrsou's  expression,  fatigued  with  flying  through  the 
vastness  of  space,  was  longing  to  find  a  milder  sky,  and 
a  sure  place  to  build  his  nest. 

In  spite  of  his  intelligence  and  his  activity,  Christian 
was  several  times  overtaken  by  poverty.  The  life  of  the 
traveller  is  a  series  of  Godsends  and  losses,  of  unexpected 
successes,  and  desperate  disasters.  He  earned  enough 
to  live  upon  from  day  to  day,  by  selling  game  and  fish, 
and  by  exchanging  commodities  transported  over  great 
distances  with  incredible  courage  and  resolution.  And 
yet  the  young  baron,  careless,  confident,  and  generous  as 
he  was,  had  not  been  born  a  merchant,  and  his  troubles 
and  anxieties  could  not  transform  the  aristocratic  liber- 
ality of  his  character. 

Unavoidable  accidents,  moreover,  often  defeated  his 
wisest  calculations  ;  and  one  day,  he  found  that  his  own 
life  must  be  governed  by  the  ideal  of  heroic  desperation 
with  which  he  had  entertained  Major  Larrson  on  the 
mountain  of  Blaakdal.  Like  Gustavus  Wasa,  he  became 
a  workman  in  the  mines,  and,  as  with  that  hero  of  a 


542 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


romantic  epopee,  he  was  soon  recognized  as  an  extraor- 
dinary workman,  not  so  much  on  account  of  the  embroid- 
ered collar  of  his  shirt,  but  rather  from  the  authority  of  his 
language  and  his  haughty  expression. 

Christian,  at  this  time,  was  in  the  mines  of  Roraas,  in 
the  highest  mountains  of  Norway,  at  about  ten  leagues 
from  the  Swedish  frontier.  He  had  been  working  like  a 
common  day-laborer  for  eight  days,  but  with  a  skill  and 
vigor  that  had  procured  him  the  respect  of  his  compan- 
ions, when  he  received  a  letter  from  M.  Groefle  to  the 
following  purport : 

"All  is  lost.  I  have  seen  the  king,  and  he  is  a  charm- 
ing man — but  nothing  more!  I  made  known  to  him 
who  you  are  :  I  laid  all  my  proofs  before  him ;  I  told 
him  how  you  felt,  and  how  useful  you  could  be  to  a  phil- 
osophical and  courageous  prince  who  wished  to  establish 
equality  of  rights  in  the  nation.  After  listening  to  me 
with  an  attention  and  comprehending  with  a  lucidity  that 
I  have  never  encountered  in  any  judge,  he  replied : 

"  'Unfortunately,  Monsieur  Advocate,  it  is  a  great 
task  to  do  justice  to  the  oppressed,  and  one  beyond  my 
strength.  I  should  be  crushed  in  attempting  it,  like  my 
poor  father,  whom  the  nobility  doomed  to  perish  of  wea- 
riness and  grief.' 

"  Gustavus  is  feeble  and  good ;  he  does  not  wish  to 
die  !  We  flattered  ourselves  in  vain  that  he  would  smite 
the  senate  with  heavy  blows.  Sweden  is  lost,  and  our 
suit  also ! 

"  Come  back  to  me,  Christian.  I  love  and  respect 
you.  I  have  a  little  fortune,  and  no  children.  Say  the 
word,  and  I  will  make  you  my  partner.  You  speak 
Swedish  captivatingly ;  you  are  eloquent.  You  shall 
study  law,  and  be  my  successor.  I  await  you." 

"No!"  cried  Christian,  kissing  the  letter  of  his 
generous  friend;  "I  understand  better  than  he  thinks 
how  limited  the  resources  of  this  country  are,  and  what 
great  sacrifices  such  an  association  would  condemn 
this  noble  man  to  make.  And  then  it  would  take 
years  to  study  law,  and,  during  all  that  time,  I  should 
have  to  be  supported — young  and  strong  as  I  am — by 


THE  SNO  W  MAN.  543 

one  who,  after  a  laborious  and  anxious  life,  deserves 
now  to  enjoy  comfort  and  repose  !  No  no  !  I  have  my 
hands,  and  I  shall  use  them,  until  destiny  shows  me  some 
better  way  than  this  of  making  my  talents  available." 

While  thus  reflecting,  he  returned  to  the  gallery  where 
it  was  his  duty  to  excavate  one  of  the  veins  of  copper 
distributed  through  the  rocks,  by  the  light  of  a  little  lamp, 
and  amid  the  sulphureous  emanations  rising  from  the 
mine. 

But  after  a  few  days  Christian's  position  was  mate- 
rially* improved.  The  superintendent  of  the  mines  no- 
ticed him,  and  put  him  at  the  head  of  certain  works, 
which  he  was  fitted  by  education  and  capacity  to  direct, 
as  he  had  shown,  without  any  pretence  or  affectation, 
when  an  opportunity  occurred.  Learned,  modest,  and 
industrious,  he  spent  his  leisure  hours  in  instructing  the 
miners.  In  the  evenings  he  delivered  a  course  of  gratu- 
itous lectures  on  elementary  mineralogy,  and  was  listened 
to  by  these  rude  men,  who  respected  him  as  an  industri- 
ous comrade,  and  looked  up  to  him  as  an  original  and 
cultivated  thinker.  His  lecture-room  was  one  of  the 
great  metallic  caverns  to  which  miners  love  to  give 
high-sounding  names.  His  chair  was  a  block  of  naked 
copper. 

Christian  tried  to  make  himself  happy  by  working  hard, 
and  doing  good  to  others  ;  for  happiness  is  what  man 
always  seeks,  even  when  he  sacrifices  himself.  He  took 
care  of  the  sick  and  wounded  in  the  mine.  When  acci- 
dents occurred,  he,  with  heroic  courage,  was  always  the 
first  to  hasten  to  the  spot,  and  he  taught  the  workmen, 
moreover,  to  guard  against  these  terrible  dangers  by  ex- 
ertiug  ordinary  common  sense  and  prudence.  He  tried 
to  refine  their  manners,  and  to  cure  them  of  their  fatal 
passion  for  brandy,  the  too  fruitful  source  of  quarrels  and 
fights  that  often  terminated  in  the  terrific  duel  with  knives 
in  vogue  in  this  part  of  the  country.  They  both  loved 
and  esteemed  him  ;  but,  since  he  devoted  all  his  wages  to 
helping  cripples,  orphans  and  widows,  he  remained  poor. 

"Decidedly,"  he  often  said  to  himself,  as  he  stepped 
into  the  bucket  to  descend  to  the  bottom  of  the  immeas- 


544  THE   SNOW  MAN. 

urable  shaft,  "I  was  born  a  seigneur  —  that  is  to  say, 
as  I  understand  it,  the  protector  of  the  feeble  —  and  for 
that  reason  I  am  not  permitted  to  live  in  the  light  of 
the  sun." 

"  Christian,"  cried  the  inspector,  one  day,  through 
the  speaking-tube  at  the  frightful  mouth  of  the  mine, 
"stop  working  for  a  while,  and  go  to  the  bottom  of  the 
inclines,  to  receive  some  visitors,  who  want  to  see  the 
large  halls.  Show  them  round  in  my  place  —  I  have  no 
time  to  come  down." 

As  usual,  Christian  lighted  the  great  resinous  torches 
which  are  kept  ready  in  all  parts  of  the  excavations,  and 
went  to  meet  the  visitors.  But  when  he  recognized  Min- 
ister Akerstrom  and  his  family,  and  Lieutenant  Osburn 
with  his  young  bride  Martina  leaning  upon  his  arm, 
Christian  handed  his  torch  to  an  old  miner  whom  he 
knew,  and,  saying  that  he  had  been  seized  with  cramp, 
begged  him  to  conduct  the  visitors  in  his  stead.  Pulling 
down  his  tarred  cap  over  his  eyes,  he  stepped  back,  re- 
joicing in  his  inmost  heart  to  see  his  friends  happy,  but 
unwilling  to  be  recognized,  lest  they  should  be  distressed 
about  him,  and  should  make  known  his  situation  to 
Margaret. 

Pie  was  about  to  withdraw,  after  having  listened  for  a 
moment  to  their  cheerful  and  animated  conversation, 
when  Madame  Osburn  turned,  saying  : 

"Why  does  not  Margaret  come?  The  little  coward 
will  never  dare  cross  that  plank  bridge  !  " 

"  Oh,  you  were  very  much  afraid  yourself,  my  dear 
Martina  !  "  replied  the  lieutenant.  "  But  you  need  not  be 
anxious  ;  M.  Stangstadius  is  with  her." 

Christian,  forgetting  all  about  his  cramp,  ran  swiftly 
along  the  steep,  vaulted  passage  that  led  to  the  plank- 
bridge,  which  was  really  very  dangerous,  and  which 
Margaret  was  to  cross  in  company  with  M.  Stangstadius, 
the  man  of  all  the  world  who  knew  best  himself  how  to 
fall  to  advantage,  but  not,  perhaps,  the  most  capable 
person  in  the  world  of  protecting  others. 

Margaret  was  really  there,  hesitating  and  dizzy,  to- 
gether with  Mademoiselle  Potin,  who,  hoping  to  encourage 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


545 


her  young  friend,  had  already  crossed  the  planks  quite 
bravely,  with  the  assistance  of  M.  Stangstadius.  The 
lieutenant  returned  to  assist  them,  and  to  quiet  his  wife  ; 
but,  before  he  could  reach  the  spot,  Christian  stepped  up, 
took  Margaret  in  his  arms,  and  crossed  the  subterranean 
torrent  in  silence. 

Certainly  Margaret  did  not  recognize  him,  for  she 
shut  her  eyes  tightly  to  avoid  beholding  the  chasm  be- 
neath. He  put  her  down  near  her  friends,  intending  to 
make  his  escape  as  quickly  as  possible,  but  Margaret, 
who  was  still  frightened,  tottered,  and  he  was  obliged  to 
take  her  hand,  and  to  draw  her  away  from  the  preci- 
pice. His  fingers,  blackened  by  his  work,  left  a  mark 
upon  the  young  girl's  delicate  green  gloves,  and  he  saw 
her,  a  moment  afterwards,  wipe  it  off  carefully  with  her 
handkerchief,  Avhile  saying  to  her  governess  : 

"  Give  some  money  quickly  to  that  poor  man  who  car- 
ried me." 

The  poor  man  had  run  away  with  his  heart  a  little 
swollen ;  he  was  not  angry  with  the  young  countess  for 
liking  clean  gloves,  but  he  said  to  himself  that  it  was 
quite  impossible  for  him,  for  his  part,  to  have  white 
hands. 

He  returned  to  the  forge,  where  he  was  having  some 
tools  made  after  an  improved  pattern,  suggested  by  him- 
self and  approved  of  by  the  inspectors ;  but  after  an 
hour's  labor,  for  he  often  lent  a  hand  himself  to  help  on 
his  men,  he  heard  the  visitors  returning,  and  could  not 
resist  his  desire  of  again  seeing  the  young  countess.  She 
had  seemed  to  him  a  little  taller,  and  greatly  improved ; 
beautiful  enough,  indeed,  to  madden  the  blindest  and 
sulkiest  of  the  Cyclops. 

As  the  voices  again  became  more  distant,  he  entered, 
without  any  precaution,  a  gallery  through  which  the  party 
would  be  obliged  to  pass,  when  suddenly,  in  a  brightly- 
lighted  hall,  he  met  Margaret  face  to  face.  Now  that  she 
had  become  a  little  accustomed  to  the  terrific  noises  and 
gloomily  sublime  aspect  of  this  subterranean  world,  she 
had  recovered  her  courage,  and  was  coming  forward 
alone,  in  advance  of  the  others.  She  trembled  on  seeing 

35 


546  THE  SNO  W  MAN. 

him ;  she  thought  that  she  recognized  him.  He  pulled 
his  cap  quickly  over  his  forehead,  and  she  knew  him  then, 
beyond  a  doubt,  by  the  care  he  took  to  hide  his  face. 

"  Christian  !  "  she  cried  ;  "  it  is  you,  I  am  sure  of  it !  " 
And  she  held  out  her  hand. 

"  Do  not  touch  me  !  "  said  Christian.  "  I  am  all  black 
with  powder  and  smoke." 

"  Ah  !  what  do  I  care  for  that,"  she  replied,  "  since  it 
is  you?  I  knoAv  all  now.  The  miners  who  have  been 
showing  us  about  have  been  talking  all  the  while  of  a 
cer^in  Christian,  a  very  learned  man  and  a  famous  work- 
man; who  would  not  tell  his  family  name,  but  who  has 
the  strength  of  a  peasant  and  the  dignity  of  an  iarl,  who 
is  courageous  for  all  and  devoted  to  all.  Our  friends  did 
not  suppose  for  a  moment  that  it  could  be  you,  there  are 
so  many  Christians  in  this  Scandinavian  land  !  But,  for 
my  part,  I  said  to  myself :  '  There  is  only  one  answering 
to  that  description  ;  it  is  he  !'  Come,  then,  shake  hands  ! 
Are  we  not  still  brother  and  sister,  as  at  Stollborg  ? " 

How  could  Christian  help  forgetting  the  little  offence 
of  the  wiped  glove  ?  Margaret  held  out  her  hand  to  him 
ungloved. 

"You  do  not  blush,  then,  to  see  me  here?"  he  said; 
"you  know  that  I  have  not  been  driven  to  come  here  by 
bad  conduct,  and  that  if  I  am  working  to-day,  it  is  not 
to  make  up  for  days  of  idleness  and  folly  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  know  anything  about  you,"  replied  Marga- 
ret, "  except  that  you  have  kept  your  word  given  formerly 
to  Major  Larrson,  to  be  a  miner,  or  a  hunter  of  bears, 
rather  than  continue  an  occupation  of  which  I  did  not 
approve." 

"And  I,  Margaret,  do  not  know  anything  about  you 
either,"  he  replied,  "except  that  your  aunt  intends  to 
have  you  marry  the  Baron  de  Lindenwald,  my  suit 
against  whom  it  appears  is  lost.' 

"It  is  true,"  said  Margaret,  laughing.  "  My  aunt 
hopes,  in  that  way,  to  console  me  for  the  death  of  Baron 
Olaus.  But  since  you  guess  so  well  what  is  going  on,  you 
ought  to  know,  also,  that  I  do  not  intend  to  marry  at  all." 

Christian  understood  this  resolution,  which  left  him  free 


THE  SNOW  MAN.  547 

to  hope,  and  he  vowed  in  his  heart  that  he  would  make  a 
fortune,  even  if  he  should  have  to  become  an  egotist.  In 
spite  of  all  he  could  say,  Margaret  would  not  consent  to 
hide  the  fact  of  his  being  there  from  the  lieutenant  and 
the  minister's  family,  who  drew  near  in  the  midst  of  their 
tete-a-tete. 

"It  is  he !  "  she  cried,  running  to  meet  them ;  "  it  is 
our  Stollborg  friend — you  know  who  I  mean  !  This  Chris- 
tian, this  friend  of  the  poor,  the  hero  of  the  mine,  is  the 
baron  without  a  barony,  but  not  without  honor  and  heart, 
and  if  you  are  not  as  happy  as  I  am  to  see  him  again  — " 

"We  are,  we  are  !  "  cried  the  minister,  shaking  hands 
with  Christian.  "He  is  setting  a  grand  example  of  true 
nobility  and  religious  faith." 

Christian,  overwhelmed  with  caresses,  praise,  and  ques- 
tions, was  obliged  to  promise  to  go  and  take  supper  in  the 
village  with  his  friends,  who  intended  to  pass  the  night 
there  before  returning  to  Waldemora,  where  Margaret 
was  spending  a  fortnight  at  the  parsonage. 

They  wanted  to  carry  him  away  with  them  immedi- 
ately ;  but,  on  the  one  hand,  Christian  could  not  dispose 
of  his  time  so  freely  as  they  supposed,  and,  on  the  other, 
he  was  more  anxious,  than  was  quite  appropriate  for  such 
a  reasonable  man,  to  dress  himself  in  clothes,  which,  how- 
ever coarse,  should  at  least  be  irreproachably  clean. 
They  made  an  appointment  to  meet  in  the  evening,  and 
Christian,  aroused  and  happy,  returned  to  his  work. 

There,  however,  he  was  agitated  by  tumultuous  and 
conflicting  thoughts.  Ought-  he  to  persist  in  cherishing 
the  chimerical  hope  that  he  was  loved?  Margaret  ex- 
pressed her  affection  for  him  with  too  much  warmth,  too 
much  frankness  ;  it  might  be  that  she  regarded  him  merely 
with  a  peaceful  friendship,  bringing  no  trouble  to  her  soul, 
no  blush  to  her  forehead  !  Could  love  be  so  spontaneous, 
so  courageous,  so  expansive  ?  He  accused  himself  of  pre- 
sumption and  folly ;  and  then,  a  moment  afterwards,  he 
accused  himself  of  ingratitude  ;  an  inner  voice  told  him 
that,  whatever  his  fate  might  be,  he  would  always  find 
Margaret  resolved  to  share  it. 

He  left  his  work  at  last,  when  the  hour  came  for  quitting 


548 


THE   SNOW  MAN, 


the  mine,  and  as  he  greatly  preferred  being  pulled  up  in 
the  bucket,  in  which  he  never  felt  dizzy,  to  making  the 
long  ascent  over  the  ladders  and  inclines,  he  got  ready  to 
mount,  in  a  moment,  to  the  entrance  of  the  gloomy  shaft, 
through  which  he  could  catch  a  glimpse  of  a  scrap  of 
blue  sky  framed  with  branches  of  the  mountain-ash  and 
lilacs.  Just  then  a  miner  came  up,  whom  he  had  already 
met  on  the  previous  evening  within  his  limits,  although  he 
did  not  belong  to  the  brigade  that  he  had  joined  at  first, 
and  which  he  was  now  directing. 

None  of  the  miners  with  whom  Christian  was  asso- 
ciated knew  this  man.  Excessively  begrimed  with  smoke 
and  dirt,  either  through  negligence  or  design,  and 
wearing  a  rag  of  a  hat  that  napped  about  his  ears,  it  was 
not  easy  to  form  any  idea  of  his  face.  Christian  had  not 
tried  to  see  him.  He  might  be  one  of  those  who  were  called 
humble  workmen  ;  as  we  sometimes  say  the  humble  poor, 
in  speaking  of  persons  whose  apparent  humility  is  perhaps 
a  mere  mask  concealing  their  silent  pride.  Christian  res- 
pected the  evident  desire  of  the  unknown  to  avoid  observa- 
tion ;  and  after  having  given  the  customary  whistle  to  warn 
those  who  worked  the  pulley,  he  contented  himself  with 
pointing  to  a  seat  by  his  side  in  the  bucket ;  for  he  sup- 
posed that  he  also  wished  to  ascend.  The  unknown  hes- 
itated. Laying  his  hands  upon  the  edge  of  the  bucket, 
be  seemed  about  to  jump  in,  but  paused,  and  looked 
around,  apparently  to  seek  for  something. 

"You  have  lost  a  tool,  perhaps?"  said  Christian,  who 
noticed  that  he  was  quite  stout  and  heavy,  and  had  noth- 
ing of  the  freedom  and  ease  which  is  usual  with  miners 
accustomed  to  the  use  of  the  bucket. 

Scarcely  had  he  spoken,  when  the  unknown,  who  seemed 
to  have  been  waiting  to  hear  his  voice  before  coming  to 
some  decision,  took  the  seat  by  his  side  with  more  resolution 
than  agility,  and  waited  in  silence  for  the  second  whistle. 
Christian  supposed  that  he  did  not  understand  Norwe- 
gian, and  being  familiar  by  this  time  with  almost  all 
the  dialects  of  the  north,  he  tried  to  enter  into  conversa- 
tion with  him  ;  but  all  his  efforts  were  useless.  The  man 
remained  perfectly  silent,  as  if  fright  at  seeing  himself 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


549 


suspended  directly  over  the  abyss  had  paralyzed  his  fac- 
ulties. The  bucket,  as  it  is  called,  employed  in  mines, 
is  made,  as  the  reader  knows,  of  stout  staves,  bound  with 
iron,  and  requires  to  be  steered  in  its  passage  up  and 
down  the  tremendous  shaft.  Christian,  who  was  already 
accustomed  to  this  mode  of  transportation,  worked  it 
very  skilfully.  Standing  on  the  edge,  with  one  arm 
thrown  around  a  rope,  he  lightly  struck  the  sides  of  the 
shaft  with  his  foot,  to  prevent  the  rocking  bucket 
from  being  broken  against  them,  and,  having  given  up 
getting  anything  out  of  his  companion,  he  began  quietly 
to  sing  a  Venetian  barcarolle,  when  his  foot  —  the  only 
one  that  happened  to  be  on  the  edge  of  the  conveyance 
at  the  moment  —  was  treacherously  pushed  with  sufficient 
force  to  make  him  lose  his  balance,  and  send  him  swing- 
ing off  into  the  void. 

Fortunately,  Christian,  who  was  habitually  no  less  pru- 
dent than  bold,  had  grasped  the  rope  firmly  with  his  left 
arm,  and  he  slipped  down  somewhat  as  a  basket  would 
have  done  by  the  handle,  without  loosening  his  hold. 
The  unknown  lifted  his  sharp-edged  hammer  with  the 
intention  of  striking  off  his  right  hand,  with  which 
Christian  had  saved  himself  by  seizing  the  edge  of 
the  bucket.  He  would  inevitably  have  lost  one  of  his 
hands,  and  probably  his  life  as  well,  had  it  not  been 
for  the  swinging  and  sudden  dip  of  the  bucket,  jerked 
down  by  the  weight  of  his  body.  At  the  same  time 
his  feet,  as  they  hung  in  the  air,  struck  a  second  bucket, 
which  had  been  let  down  from  above,  and  he  was  able  to 
give  the  first  one  such  a  push  that  the  assassin  was 
obliged  to  take  to  the  ropes  himself,  in  order  to  keep  from 
being  thrown  out. 

This  moment  was  sufficient  to  enable  Christian  to  cling 
to  the  second  rope,  and  jump  into  the  second  bucket, 
which  ascended  rapidly,  while  the  one  in  which  the 
assassin  remained  alone,  disappeared  from  sight  with  even 
greater  rapidity.  Just  as  Christian  reached  the  top  of 
the  shaft,  and  jumped  out  on  the  platform  around  it,  a 
dull  crash  ascended  from  its  depths,  while,  at  that  vei-y 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 

moment,  Stangstadius,  with  his  fantastic  face  all  radiant 
with  smiles,  came  up  to  him. 

"  Come,  my  dear  baron,"  he  cried,  "  make  haste  ! 
They  will  not  have  supper  over  yonder  in  the  village 
until  you  arrive,  and  I  am  dying  of  inanition." 

"What  has  happened?"  cried  Christian  to  the  miners 
who  were  working  the  pulley,  without  answering  Stang- 
stadius ;  "where  is  the  other  bucket?  Where  is  the 
man?—" 

"The  rope  broke,"  replied  one  of  them,  with  a  tremen- 
dous oath,  and  pretending  to  deplore  the  accident,  while 
the  other  whispered  in  Christian's  ear  : 

"  Not  a  word  !     We  let  him  fall !  " 

"What!  you  have  precipitated  this  unfortunate  —  this 
madman —  ?" 

"This  unfortunate  was  not  a  madman,"  replied  the 
workman.  "  He  has  been  looking  out  for  an  opportunity 
to  be  alone  with  you  for  three  days.  We  watched  him, 
and  saw  what  he  wanted  to  do.  We  let  down  another 
bucket  at  a  venture ;  and  as  for  the  one  he  is  in,  it  is  a 
bucket  spoiled,  that  is  all  about  it !  " 

Christian  kneAv  that  these  rough  miners  were  in  the 
habit  of  taking  the  law  into  their  own  hands,  and  that 
they  dealt  out  to  criminals  summary  and  terrible  justice. 

He  felt  the  more  regret  and  anxiety  about  what  had  hap- 
pened, because  he  knew,  also,  that  people  who  enter  this 
subterranean  world  when  rather  advanced  in  years,  are 
sometimes  seized  with  fits  of  involuntary  and  ungovernable 
fury.  He  descended  into  the  mine  again  with  Stang- 
stadius, who  claimed,  with  good  reason,  to  have  a  profes- 
sional knowledge  of  such  accidents.  Two  of  the  miners 
went  down  with  them,  to  investigate,  they  said,  but  in 
reality  to  remove  the  corpse,  so  as  to  avoid  being  obliged 
to  give  any  explanation  to  the  inspectors  of  the  mine. 

"  Faith,"  said  Stangstadius,  when  they  had  examined 
the  miserable  body  by  the  light  of  their  torches,  "  he  is 
done  for  !  He  was  not  so  lucky  as  I !  By  heavens  !  I 
declare  I  must  draw  up  a  report  on  the  use  of  ropes  in 
descending  buckets  in  mines.  These  accidents  are  too 
frequent — when  I  think  that  even  I  myself — " 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


551 


"  Monsieur  Stangstadius  !  "  cried  Christian,  "  look  at 
this  man.  Do  you  not  know  him?  " 

"By  heavens,  it  is  a  fact !  "  replied  Stangstadius  ;  "  it 
is  Master  Johan,  the  ex-major-domo  of  Waldemora.  Oh 
then,  there  is  no  great  harm  done !  He  confessed  in 
prison  ;  it  was  this  very  fellow  who  assassinated  poor 
Baron  Adelstan,  in  former  years  —  apropos!  yes,  your 
father,  my  dear  Christian.  This  Johan  was  once  a  miner 
in  Falun,  and  he  was  a  great  scoundrel.  It  appears  that 
he  made  his  escape  from  his  last  prison,  but  it  was  writ- 
ten in  his  destiny  that  he  was  to  perish  by  the  rope." 

Delighted  with  this  bon-mot,  M.  Stangstadius  returned 
with  Christian  to  the  upper  world,  while  the  workmen, 
after  having  thrown  the  corpse  into  a  deserted  pit,  well 
known  to  them,  in  the  deepest  part  of  the  works,  set 
quietly  to  work  to  mend  the  bucket.  Christian,  Avho 
had  a  room  in  a  little  house  in  the  village,  ran  thither  to 
change  his  dress.  He  found  a  letter  awaiting  him  that  had 
just  been  brought  by  a  coqrier  ;  it  was  from  M.  Goefle. 

"  All  is  saved  !  "  he  wrote  ;  "  the  king  is  good,  as  I  told 
you,  but  not  weak,  as  I  thought.  He  is  a  gallant  fellow, 
who  — but  you  will  have  time  enough  to  hear  about  that. 
Make  all  speed  !  Be  at  Waldemora  on  the  twelfth  ;  you 
will  find  one  of  your  friends  there,  and  hear  some  good 
news. 

"  Until  a  speedy  meeting,  I  am,  my  dear  baron,"  etc. 

Christian  did  not  say  a  word  about  this  letter  to  his 
friends,  with  whom  he  took  supper  at  the  parsonage  of 
the  minister  of  Roraas,  where  the  minister  of  Waldemora 
and  his  party  had  been  entertained  with  cordial  hospital- 
ity. After  supper,  he  found  an  opportunity  of  being 
alone  with  Margaret  and  her  governess.  He  was  bolder 
than  he  had  ever  been.  He  dared  to  speak  of  love. 
Mademoiselle  Potin  wanted  to  interrupt  him,  but  Mar- 
garet, in  her  turn,  interrupted  her  friend. 

"  Christian,"  she  said,  "  I  do  not  well  know  what  love 
is,  or  what  distinction  there  can  be  between  that  senti- 
ment and  the  feeling  with  which  I  regard  you.  But  one 
thing  I  do  know,  and  that  is,  that  I  respect  and  esteem 
you,  and  that  if  I  am  ever  free,  and  you  are  the  same,  I 


552 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


will  share  your  fortuiie,  whatever  it  may  be.  I  have 
worked  very  hard  since  we  parted,  and  I  shall  be  able  now 
to  give  lessons  or  keep  accounts,  like  so  many  other  poor 
young  girls  who  support  themselves,  and  who  have  too 
much  good  sense  to  blush  upon  that  account ;  — like 
Mademoiselle  Potin  herself,  whose  family  is  noble,  and 
who  has  not  lost  in  the  opinion  of  any  one,  but,  on  the 
other  hand,  who  has  been  elevated  in  the  eyes  of  all  per- 
sons of  real  feeling,  by  having  the  courage  to  make 
use  of  her  talents.  To  prove  it,"  she  added,  glancing 
tenderly  and  archly  at  her  governess,  "  I  need  only  tell 
you  that  she  is  betrothed  secretly  to  the  excellent  Major 
Larrson,  and  is  only  waiting  until  my  affairs  are  a  little 
more  settled,  to  celebrate  her  marriage." 

It  was  impossible  for  Mademoiselle  Potin  to  contradict 
Margaret,  but  she  was  none  the  less  angry  with  Christian 
for  speaking  to  her  of  love  at  the  very  moment  when  his 
suit  was  lost,  and  she  felt  still  more  indignant  on  the  fol- 
lowing morning,  when  he  joined  their  little  party  to  cross 
the  mountains,  and  return  to  Sweden  by  the  Idre,  and  the 
mountains  of  Blaakdal.  On  the  next  day,  the  twelfth  of 
June,  1772,  Christian  saw  the  friend  to  whom  M.  Goefle 
had  referred,  coming  to  meet  him  on  the  mountain-road 
over  which  they  were  travelling ;  it  was  no  other  than 
M.  Goefle  himself,  escorted  by  Major  Larrson.  They  em- 
braced each  other,  and  after  briefly  exchanging  joyful  and 
affectionate  greetings,  hastened  forward,  and  arrived  by 
dinner-time  at  the  danneman's  chalet,  which  they  found 
gayly  adorned  with -wild  flowers.  Karine  was  at  the 
door,  only  partly  comprehending  what  was  passing,  and 
finding  it  difficult  to  recognize  the  child  of  the  lake  in  the 
features  of  the  handsome  young  iarl. 

The  dinner  was  served  in  the  open  air,  under  a  bower 
of  foliage,  in  sight  of  the  magnificent  prospect  of  moun- 
tains, with  whose  wild  and  melancholy  beauty  Christian 
had  been  so  deeply  impressed  on  a  day  in  December. 
The  summer  is  short  in  these  elevated  regions,  but  it  is 
magnificent.  The  verdure  is  as  dazzling  as  the  snows  ; 
the  vegetation  grows  with  such  rapidity,  and  is  so  luxuri- 


THE  SNOW  MAN. 


553 


ant,  that  Christian  imagined  he  was  beholding  a  different 
locality  and  a  different  country. 

They  remained  upon  the  mountain  until  six  o'clock. 
But  no  one  thought  now  of  hunting  bears  ;  instead,  they 
plucked  flowers  sentimentally  from  beside  running  streams, 
and  listened  to  their  sweet  murmuring  or  impetuous  roll- 
ing—  so  eager,  as  all  of  them  seemed,  with  their  various 
voices,  to  sing  and  to  live  to  the  utmost,  before  the  return 
of  the  frost,  when  they  must  all  be  changed  into  crystal 
again  by  the  elfs  of  the  gloomy  autumn. 

Christian  was  very  happy,  and  yet  he  was  longing  to 
see  Stenson  once  more  ;  but  M.  Stenson  would  not  consent 
to  leave  the  chalet,  on  account  of  the  heat.  The  sun,  at  this 
season,  does  not  set  until  ten  o'clock,  and  it  rises  three 
hours  afterwards,  in  a  starry  twilight  that  softly  veils  the 
sky  ;  for,  during  the  summer,  the  darkness  of  a  genuine 
night  is  unknown.  In  fact,  the  good  lawyer  had  prepared  a 
.  surprise  for  Christian.  As  soon  as  the  cool  evening  breeze 
began  to  be  felt,  old  Stenson  drove  up  in  a  carriage,  tri- 
umphant and  rejuvenated.  Thanks  to  the  heat  of  the 
season,  and  perhaps  also  to  his  returning  joy  and  confi- 
dence, his  deafness  was  almost  entirely  cured.  He 
brought  the  decree  of  the  committee  of  the  Diet,  recog- 
nizing Christian's  rights,  and  a  letter  from  Countess  El- 
veda  to  M.  Goefle,  authorizing  him  privately  to  dispose 
of  the  hand  of  her  niece  in  favor  of  the  new  Baron  of 
Waldemora. 

Christian  returned  to  the  chateau  with  his  uncle  Goefle, 
while  the  rest  of  the  party  followed  in  their  various  car- 
riages over  the  winding  and  picturesque  road ;  but,  in 
the  midst  of  the  young  man's  joy,  as  he  anticipated  the 
reunion  of  all  his  beloved  friends,  he  was  seized  with  a 
sudden  fit  of  melancholy. 

"I  am  too  happy,"  he  said  to  the  lawyer  ;  "  I  should 
like  to  die  to-day.  It  seems  to  me  that  the  life  into 
which  I  am  about  to  enter  will  be  in  constant  conflict 
with  the  simple  and  pure  happiness  I  have  dreamed  about." 

"It  is  quite  possible,  my  friend,"  replied  M.  Goefle; 
"  for  it  is  only  novels  that  end  Avith  the  eternal  formula  : 
'  They  died  in  old  age,  after  a  long  and  happy  life.'  You 


554 


THE   SNOW  MAN. 


cannot  come  into  contact  with  the  world  as  a  public  man 
without  suffering ;  for  society  is  terribly  convulsed  in 
these  days,  and  above  all  in  the  aristocratic  circles  where 
you  will  take  your  place.  I  do  not  know  what  strange 
events  are  preparing  ;  and  yet  I  had  a  sort  of  revelation 
of  the  future  in  the  last  interview  which  the  king  granted 
me.  OB  that  day,  he  seemed  to  me  both  grand  and  ter- 
rible. I  believe  he  is  meditating  a  movement  which  will 
send  a  good  many  people  back  where  they  belong ;  but 
can  he  keep  them  there,  and  will  he  ?  Can  revolutions 
establish  a  permanent  condition  of  things,  when  they 
come  in  advance  of  the  slow  labor  of  time  and  ideas  ?  " 

"Not  always,"  said  Christian,  "but  they  form  land- 
marks in  history ;  even  when  an  effort  at  reformation  is 
premature,  something  is  always  gained." 

"Then  you  will  really  support  the  king  against  the 
senate  ?  " 

"  Yes,  most  certainly  ! " 

"You  see,  then,  that  you  do  not  intend  to  flee  the  tem- 
pest, but  to  seek  it.  Well,  that  is  always  the  way  with 
the  young,  at  least  when  they  are  intelligent ;  instinct 
and  fate  drives  them  on.  For  my  part,  I  will  say  amen 
to  whatever  frees  us  from  Russia  and  England.  But 
how  the  devil  do  you  propose  to  sit  in  the  senate,  if  you 
refuse  to  acknowledge  the  religion  of  the  country  ?  But 
no  matter,  do  not  answer  now ;  you  will  see  hereafter 
what  your  conscience  dictates,  and  what  course  you  will 
have  to  pursue,  in  order  to  fulfil  your  duties  as  a  father 
and  a  citizen." 

"My  duties  as  a  father  !"  cried  Christian.  "Ah  !  M. 
Goefle,  it  will  be  in  fulfilling  them  that  I  shall  find  hap- 
piness ;  I  feel  it !  Mon  Dieu  !  When  I  am  united  at  last 
to  that*  brave  and  loyal  woman,  how  I  shall  love  our 
children  —  to  whom  she  will  transmit  disinterestedness 
and  nobility  of  character,  as  well  as  grace  and  beauty ! " 

"  Yes,  yes,  Christian,  you  will  be  happy  in  your  fam- 
ily. That  is  due  to  you  for  your  devotion  to  poor  Sophia 
Goffredi !  You  will  live  in  the  Swedish  fashion,  on  your 
estates,  in  the  enjoyment  of  every  comfort,  and  in  the 
presence  of  the  grand  and  rude  nature  of  the  north.  You 


O         tt 

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